Here is the blueprint for the St. Louis Cardinals to win the MLB trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals should be the most active team at this year's trade deadline.

The club has three of the most desirable rentals available on the trade market this year in Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, and Jack Flaherty. Montgomery has a chance to be the best starting pitcher available on the entire market, while Hicks and Flaherty's play of late should make them valuable commodities.

Along with three impending free agents, we all expect them to trade, names like Tyler O'Neill, Chris Stratton, Juan Yepez, and Paul DeJong could all be let go of via trade for the right price. They could also end up being a part of larger packages the club puts together.

Speaking of, the Cardinals are also rumored to be in on controllable starting pitching at this deadline, which would be a more "buying" move in nature. This kind of deal would likely see the Cardinals part with some of their young bats like Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, or Tommy Edman. It would be a painful move, but one that could help the club significantly in 2024.

With all of these options, there are a ton of paths the Cardinals can go at this deadline. Each move will have a direct impact on other moves, so the Cardinals need to think long and hard about their end goal before they start wheeling and dealing. If they play their cards right, they can really win this deadline.

Here is the blueprint for the St. Louis Cardinals to win the MLB Trade Deadline this year

1. Acquire a young, controllable starting pitcher using one of their young bats

We'll get to the significant "seller" moves here in a moment, but the thing that the Cardinals need to do everything in their power to pursue is a trade for controllable starting pitching. It does not *have* to happen before the offseason, but it needs to be their number one priority as a front office until it's accomplished.

The name that keeps getting thrown out there as the "big fish" target for the Cardinals is Seattle's Logan Gilbert. He would be an excellent addition to the Cardinals' rotation, but it will cost them a lot.

FanGraphs has been putting together their annual "trade value" chart, where they rank the most valuable assets in today's game. Not just who is actually available, but they rank every player and prospect based on who would be the hardest to acquire.

Gilbert ranked 33rd in all of baseball on this list. His teammate, George Kirby, ranked 26th.

With pitchers like Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, and Emerson Hancock in their organization, it's no wonder people think they may want to capitalize on the value of their controllable starter.

There is one name I think the Cardinals have to make available if they want to get this deal done, and that is Lars Nootbaar.

Nootbaar ranks 47th in FanGraphs' list, which means he would get St. Louis pretty close to the package it will take to get Gilbert. It will take a very strong package overall, but the Cardinals need to be willing to be aggressive to get the pitcher they desperately need.

If it's not Gilbert, then turn your attention to Woo, Miller, or someone like Dylan Cease. This needs to be the big move they make at this deadline.

2. Sell on Jordan Montgomery, acquire a package headline by a top-100 prospect

I honestly think people are going to be surprised at how much value the Cardinals are able to get from Montgomery on the trade market.

No, they aren't getting a top prospect in all of baseball, but with how thin this market is on pitching and how great the need is, I'd be shocked if they do not get a package that is headlined by at least a top-100 prospect in the game.

There are plenty of examples of rentals in recent years commanding a very strong package in return. The Orioles, Rays, Yankees, Reds, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, Twins, Braves, Phillies, Marlins, and Astros will all be in the hunt for pitching help, which will continue to drive up at the asking price.

Even if you're of the opinion that they need to resign Montgomery, they should trade him now and look to do so in the offseason, reminiscent of the Yankees and Aroldis Chapman in 2016.

3. Trade Dylan Carlson to the New York Yankees for Clayton Beeter and Randy Vazquez

I really like Dylan Carlson. But if the Cardinals are not going to commit to him as an everyday outfielder, then they are wasting his career on the bench and need to turn him into pitching help.

As the deadline nears, the Yankees and Cardinals continue to heat up as trade partners, with names like Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, Jordan Montgomery, and Jack Flaherty being closely linked.

I keep bringing up Clayton Beeter as he is a name that has been directly linked from the Yankees farm system, but there are a variety of arms in the Yankees system that could appeal to the Cardinals.

Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren, Richard Fitts, and Yoendrys Gomez could all be of interest to St. Louis. Beeter just appeared in the MLB Futures Game and has looked really good in Double-A and Triple-A this year, while Vasquez has made his MLB debut with the Yankees and looked very good to this point.

In this scenario, the Cardinals would love both Nootbaar and Carlson at this deadline, committing to Brendan Donovan and Jordan Walker in the corner outfield spots with Tommy Edman in center field for the time being. The Cardinals could then pursue a center field upgrade in free agency like Cody Bellinger, Harrison Bader, or Kevin Kiermaier if they so choose.

4. Trade away Jack Flaherty

Over his last seven starts, Flaherty is 4-1 with a 3.54 ERA, looking very confident on the mound and giving the Cardinals a chance to win each time out.

While Flaherty won't command the same package that Montgomery will, I also think he'll command more than people are giving him credit for. All of those teams I listed for Montgomery will also be interested in Flaherty.

Depending on what pitchers are actually made available at this deadline, Flaherty could be anywhere from the third most valuable on the market or the seven most valuable. This will impact his value, but no matter what, I think he nets a package that will be very fruitful for St. Louis.

Through all of these "selling" moves, the Cardinals can really stock up on assets to help their club in 2024 and beyond or load up for trades later down the line.

5. Shop Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos, take an offer if a team is willing to part with significant assets

This is not essential to pull off at the deadline, but July tends to be the time that relievers have their highest trade value. The Cardinals should make it known that they are open to offers on their top relievers, and are willing to make a move for the right price.

Both Helsley and Gallegos are regarded as two of the best relievers in baseball, and both have multiple years of control remaining. This will be especially appealing to teams, as they don't have to pawn off assets for just a few months of the reliever. They can add a Helsley or Gallegos knowing they will be with their club beyond 2023.

Why would the Cardinals do that if their bullpen is already so thin? Relievers are so volatile and at any moment, Helsley or Gallegos could drop off significantly. When your club is not in contention, it's better to capitalize on the value of your relievers than to hold onto them.

The right deal has to be there though. There is no point in dealing either of them off unless they can a strong offer. Otherwise, they can wait for the offseason or have them on their 2024 roster.

6. Trade Jordan Hicks for a top-100 prospect

What a journey Jordan Hicks has been on this season. There was a stretch of baseball where I thought it made sense to DFA Hicks during the beginning of the season, and now he could command a strong return on the trade market.

In my opinion, Hicks' value falls somewhere between Montgomery and Flaherty. I think Montgomery can fetch a package headlined by a top-100 prospect, while I think Flaherty brings in an interesting set of prospects. Hicks I think could get a stronger package than Flaherty but no top-100 prospect, or he could be dealt straight up for someone in the top 100.

Pretty much every contender needs bullpen help, and some will be desperate to add an arm like Hicks to the back end of their bullpen.

7. Trade-off pieces like Tyler O'Neill, Paul DeJong, and Chris Stratton for assets

Outside of their top three "selling" assets in Montgomery, Hicks, and Flaherty, the Cardinals have a few other names they could get value from.

Tyler O'Neill feels about as good as gone from the Cardinals this deadline. Some team is going to take a flyer on him as a bounce-back candidate for the second half, and he's also under team control through next year.

There are a few contenders out there that need shortstop help, and Paul DeJong has quietly been one of the better shortstops in the game this year. He has a club option for 2024, so the Cardinals can sell that to teams as well, or keep him and explore a deal again in the offseason. I like the idea of clearing a path for Masyn Winn to debut this year, though.

Chris Stratton is a guy I am sure a contender will target as bullpen depth. He's not a high-leverage guy, but he is pretty reliable and teams need as many bullpen arms as they can get for a stretch run.