Cardinals cut ties with yet another failed outfielder who could blossom elsewhere

We've known this was coming for some time now, but Dylan Carlson has officially been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Shawn Armstrong. While the St. Louis Cardinals are indeed risking him blossoming elsewhere, parting ways was best for both sides.

We are reacting to the news of the Carlson deal as well as the rest of the MLB Trade Deadline action over on the Dealin' the Cards podcasts' Trade Deadline Live Stream.

In what has been a troubling trend for some time now, Carlson hopes to become the next Cardinal outfielder to turn things around with a new organization. Names like Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia, Tyler O'Neill, and Lane Thomas all stand out as players who needed to leave St. Louis to become (or get back to) the player the Cardinals initially hoped they would become.

Carlson himself sees the potential benefit of a new landing spot, per his quote that was shared by MLB.com's John Denton on X.

“I’ve never experienced [a fresh start], because I’ve been here with this organization since I was 17 years old. Really, this is all I’ve ever known. But, look, I think there’s something to it -- going somewhere new and experiencing new things. It could open new ways of thinking and new ways of playing, and it could unlock what you need to unlock. It’s something that’s real for some guys.”

Multiple teams were interested in acquiring Carlson at this deadline, and for good reason. It is hard not to look at that list of names above and believe that Carlson will end up joining that list as another player who performed better elsewhere. It feels like the norm, rather than the exception, with players who were as talented as Carlson is.

Armstrong has not been good this season, posting a 5.40 ERA with 50 SO in 46.2 innings. He was excellent last year though, posting a 1.38 ERA in 52 innings pitched.

This was the only trade that the Cardinals made on deadline day to go along with the deal for Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham yesterday. Giovanny Gallegos was designated for an assignment by the club earlier this week, so we'll likely see his release soon.

We'll have tons of reactions to the Cardinals trade deadline on the site over the coming days, so be sure to stay tuned as we cover the Cardinals stretch run and quest to get back to the postseason.