Cardinals: 3 reasons why not trading for Juan Soto was a wise decision

Juan Soto is a great player, but would have been a bad move for the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals were in the thick of the biggest trade deadline rumors last year, as they were one of the main teams having conversations with the Washington Nationals about superstar Juan Soto before he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

The Cardinals from the beginning felt more like a hypothetical destination for Soto, rather than a true landing spot. But as the weeks went on, their name remained in conversations, and it because very apparent that a deal really could happen.

St. Louis hardly ever positions themselves to go after a player like Soto. He was going to require giving up a historic amount of prospect capital, and retaining him beyond 2024 was going to potentially take a record-setting contract as well.

This would have been a franchise-altering move for St. Louis, not only because of the kind of player Juan Soto is, but because of what it would have cost for the Cardinals to acquire a player of his stature.

While the Cardinals not getting a deal done for Soto felt extremely disappointing in the moment, I do believe it was actually in the best interest of the franchise for a multitude of reasons. While it feels weird saying the decision to not trade for a 24-year-old superstar was best for the club, you'll see what I mean as we get more into this.

Here are three reasons why I believe not trading for Juan Soto was the right move for the Cardinals.