Cardinals top 5 trade chips if they want to aggressively add to their roster

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The St. Louis Cardinals seemed to have moved the conversation around them from "How many pieces will they be willing to sell at this year's trade deadline?" to "Who could they be looking to add to this roster?" in what feels like the blink of an eye.

They are not completely out of the woods yet, but it really does feel like they've put to bed the idea that they'll be sellers again this season, barring a massive falloff over the next few weeks. The National League is weak this year, with a Wild Card berth easily attainable and the National League Central race appears to be one that will go on all season long.

With that being said, the Cardinals are also in a tough spot where I don't think they can really afford to be ultra-aggressive in trading their best assets away. Their farm system has had multiple bright spots this year, but I don't think they have the depth to part with their most valuable talent in order to swing big. I could be proven wrong on that, especially if there is a pitcher with control available that causes them to rethink that sentiment, but barring that, I think they are going to have to get creative in order to swing major deals.

So, what kind of trade chips could we be looking at if they decide to add some pieces at this deadline? I came up with five names I could see them parting with, but first let's address some names I do not see them trading.

I doubt the Cardinals would entertain offers from their core big-league bats, or top prospects like Tink Hence, Victor Scott II, Thomas Saggese, or Tekoah Roby.

I would be shocked if the Cardinals considered trading any of Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, or Nolan Gorman. Obviously, Masyn Winn is not on the table. I also don't think they want to take away from a real strength of the team by trading away Ivan Herrera, and he's proven why having depth at catcher is so important.

I also don't think the Cardinals will be willing to move some of their most dynamic prospects. Tink Hence has been incredible this year, and the front office really needs to have a guy like him emerge that they can point to and say they developed. Victor Scott II is someone the club really likes, and if we think what Michael Siani is doing now is valuable, imagine a better version of him in center field every day when Scott is ready.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has mentioned a few times that he does not believe the front office wants to move either of their "prized assets" from last year's deadline in Thomas Saggese and Tekoah Roby, even going as far as to say the club wants to hold onto them to show they got something from that fire sale.

Now, especially when it comes to the prospects, you never say never about a trade. Depending on who is available at the deadline, the Cardinals could be willing to entertain some of those names. But for now, I think it is highly unlikely.

That leaves us with these five trade assets that the Cardinals could use at this trade deadline

#5 - Cesar Prieto

According to Goold, Cesar Prieto is someone who is viewed highly by other organizations right now, and with the Cardinals' depth of infield talent right now, they could trade from that abundance to make an upgrade.

Prieto came over to St. Louis from Baltimore in the Jack Flaherty trade at last year's deadline, and if we know anything about Baltimore right now, it's that they can identify bats like nobody else. Since coming to the Cardinals organization, Prieto has done nothing but hit, and that's really shined through during his 2024 campaign with Memphis.

The 25-year-old has posted an .866 OPS with 8 home runs in 179 at-bats so far this year, showing really impressive bat-to-ball skills while improving the quality of his contact as he has continued to develop. He still very well could be just a reserve infielder at the Major League level, but there is certainly intrigue around him that teams may want to pounce on.

Prieto is not known for his glove, but he's logged time at both second base and third base for Memphis this season. Either way, it's hard to find left-handed bats who hit like Prieto has so far, and if the Cardinals really want to hold onto all of their other infielders, it would make sense to dangle Prieto in a deal.

#4 - Dylan Carlson

At this point, Dylan Carlson's value in any trade is zapped compared to where it used to be a few short seasons ago.

Please stop with the "the Cardinals didn't want to trade Dylan Carlson for Juan Soto" comments, because that statement is just not true. If it had been as simple as Carlson for Soto, it would have gotten done, and even if it had been just a bit more complicated, I think Mozeliak would have found it within himself to let go of his prized prospect. I understand the Cardinals told Carlson they would not be trading him, but it has also been reported they told that to multiple other guys as well, those names are just not public knowledge.

If you want an idea of what the package would have had to look like to match the Padres offer, you can check out this story, and then try and tell me you think it would have been a good idea to trade Walker, Gorman, Winn, Hence, Carlson, and more to go and get Soto when the Cardinals were never going to be able to resign him.

Anyways, thanks for letting me get on my soapbox for a moment, but since that whole situation, injuries and subpar performances have zapped Carlson of his value. Honestly, I'm pretty confident he is going to go on to have more success elsewhere, but it's the bed the Cardinals have made themselves at this point.

While Carlson's .347 OPS and -0.5 WAR in 16 games this year is not going to impress anyone, he was a top prospect in baseball and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, so someone is going to want to take a flyer on him. Even if he cannot regain his promise from early in his career, I can still see Carlson providing value as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching who plays good corner outfield defense.

He'll likely need to be paired with other assets to bring something of value to St. Louis, but that's where we are at now.

#3 - Sem Robberse

Seems odd to suggest the Cardinals could trade their most productive Triple-A starter this year when they currently lack a fifth starter, but for some reason, they do not see Sem Robberse as an option at the big-league level right now, and there are clearly arms coming behind him they see higher upside with long-term.

Robberse is just 22 years old and is already having great success at the highest minor league level. In 10 starts so far this year, Robberse is 5-2 with a 3.28 ERA, striking out just under one batter per inning. He's made some helpful changes to how he uses his pitch mix this year which seems to have helped him up his standing in the organization.

While he may not have the upside of a top-end starter, teams will surely value the potential of a cost-controlled back-of-the-rotation starter for years to come, which gives him value on the market. I think he's a more valuable piece than Johan Oviedo was in 2022, and he was able to help the Cardinals bring in Jose Quintana. Surely Robberse would be able to snag them a quality piece if they needed to part with him.

I think they'd like to hold onto as many arms as they can, but at some point, you have to trade something in order to get value in return. If Hence and Roby are off the table, as well as guys like Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe, and other higher upside arms, Robberse may be the top arm they are okay parting ways with for the right guy.

#2 - Tommy Edman

Now this is a difficult one to gauge, but I thought it was worth mentioning, even with the lingering injury.

Remember the 2022 Trade Deadline? The Cardinals traded an injured Harrison Bader for Jordan Montgomery, and Bader did not even play for the Yankees until late September. Tommy Edman is a more valuable player, and assuming he gets some games in before the deadline this year, the Cardinals could dangle him as a trade chip.

Edman provides defensive versatility all over the field, showing Gold Glove-like defense in center field and at second base, along with really good defense at shortstop, third base, and the corner outfield spots. Teams love that kind of flexibility if they can find it, and the Cardinals' current roster construction seems to make Edman a bit more expendable.

Masyn Winn is the club's shortstop now and will be for a long time. Victor Scott II appears to be their long-term center fielder, but even with him in Memphis right now, Michael Siani has been really impressive in center field. Apparently both Winn and manager Oli Marmol like Brandon Crawford on the roster, so I'm not sure the Cardinals are in a rush to move him off the roster either.

Obviously, they value Edman over Siani and Crawford, but if the team is functioning well without him, they can use his value to go out and upgrade at a position of weakness if the market allows them to. Tommy Edman is an awesome Cardinal, but I've felt for a little while now that he may become the odd man out, and that's seemed to happen in his absence.

#1 - Alec Burleson

I do not want the Cardinals to trade Alec Burleson, but if they want to make a bigger swing at the deadline, it may be tough not to include him in a deal if so many other guys cannot be.

Burleson is finally showing why the Cardinals love his bat, slashing .309/.336/.455 with a 128 wRC+ in 45 games so far this year. Burleson is a gifted hitter from the left side and will be in this league for a long time because of that bat, which is why teams would be very interested in adding him to their lineup if they can.

The Cardinals already have a bunch of young bats they want to commit to in Winn, Nootbaar, Donovan, Walker, Gorman, and Herrera, as well as guys like Scott II and Saggese. This doesn't even mention their veterans like Contreras and Arenado or the fact that they'll at least have Goldschmidt for the remainder of the year. That is eleven different bats I have mentioned, which makes it difficult for all of them to find playing time.

That doesn't mean they should trade Burleson. If they can avoid it, they should. He's extremely valuable to their offense right now and could end up being their long-term first baseman. But, if they need to pick a guy to get a deal done, he may be the one they move.

At least it would be the first time in a while they traded an outfielder when their value was high. Typically the Cardinals hold on far too long, and then they have next-to-no value when they trade them, or they trade them before they break out.

Some of this conversation will depend on whether the other Cardinals bats continue to perform or not as well. But frankly, if the other bats go cold and they cannot afford to trade Burleson, they are probably selling anyway and wouldn't be moving him.

Again, let me be clear, I'm a big Burleson fan and don't think they should trade him, but if the right kind of deal is on the table to upgrade this team, he's a name I'd look out for to be a part of that deal.

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