Final trade deadline predictions for the St. Louis Cardinals

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Tick, tick, tick. Time is running out for the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

Am I antsy? A little bit. Am I worried that they still seem to have unfinished business? Not really. Am I optimistic that they'll make a few more moves before the deadline comes to pass? Yes.

Having already dealt Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, and Jordan Hicks, there are still names like Jack Flaherty, Dylan Carlson, and Paul DeJong who have been heavily rumored to be on the move. Other names like Tyler O'Neill, Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson, Tommy Edman, or Brendan Donovan could be on the move as well.

I don't expect all of these names to be moved, obviously. But there is real potential for the Cardinals to make a few more "sellers" moves while also pursuing one or two "buyers" moves related to their 2024 roster. So far, the prospects they have gotten in return have outside shots of helping the club in a meaningful way next season, but most will have little impact until seasons beyond 2024.

The Cardinals have been clear though, they intend to right the ship for 2024, and they know part of that happens now at the trade deadline. No, they don't have to fix all of their issues right now, but it would feel disappointing if there weren't at least some answers to the questions we have after tomorrow's deadline.

Here are my final predictions for the Cardinals trade deadline before it comes to pass on August 1st

The Cardinals get a nice return for Jack Flaherty

The Cardinals do not have to trade Jack Flaherty. Giving him the qualifying offer in the offseason would be a solid return for him. Either get him back on a one-year deal or get a draft pick in return. But the best case scenario, and most likely of all, is dealing Flaherty to a contender at this deadline.

There are still a variety of teams who could use Flaherty and as the Rangers have shown at this deadline, even contenders who have already added starters could do so again. The Orioles, Rays, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Reds, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Angels, Astros, Giants, Braves, and Marlins could all make a run at Flaherty in the final hours.

Translation - there is a large market for the Cardinals' starter and the need among so many contenders should create a good deal for St. Louis.

The Cardinals will likely explore packaging Flaherty with another player or two to extract as much value as possible, but no matter what, I'm betting big that Flaherty is dealt in the remaining hours.

Paul DeJong is also dealt, and so is at least one of Andrew Knizner, Ivan Herrera, Juan Yepez, or Alec Burleson

This could come as a package deal with one another or attached to Flaherty, but I feel pretty confident someone from this group is moved.

DeJong has had a resurgent season. He may be worthy of getting his club option picked up this offseason with his .710 OPS and really good defense. He'll need to put together another really nice stretch at the plate and up that OPS so more to do so, but either way, there will be teams out there interested in the potential of that. With Masyn Winn beyond ready to take over at shortstop and Tommy Edman almost back from injury, it makes a lot of sense.

The Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera dynamic needs solved soon. Both should be on a Major League roster, both Herrera clearly has the higher upside and could be a huge part of the Cardinals' future. If so, Knizner needs to be traded. If not, Herrea's value needs to be capitalized on.

Juan Yepez should not be sitting around in Memphis. He needs to be getting his shot with a Major League club, so trading him as a part of a deal makes a lot of sense. Teams have been calling about Alec Burleson as well, and although I really like him as an outfield option for St. Louis, I get why he could be used to up the return they get.

The Cardinals acquire 2024 rotation help by using one or more of Tommy Edman, Ryan Helsley, Brendan Donovan, and/or Giovanny Gallegos in the package

The way John Mozeliak has been talking about this deadline, it's clear he believes their initial moves have not gotten them the 2024 rotation help they desire. That doesn't mean the packages they got back weren't good, it's just that those rental players were never going to get surefire rotation pieces for next year.

They technically do not have to get that done right now, but I know they would really like to have one of those new arms in St. Louis by the end of the deadline.

They still seem set on not trading Lars Nootbaar along with Jordan Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado. Nolan Gorman remains unclear at the moment. But Bob Nightengale indicated that both Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan are available in talks at the moment.

Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos have been rumored trade pieces as well since they are relievers with team control. Gallegos is having a down year but is still a really good option for a contender. Helsley has been injured but was one of the best closers in baseball last season.

I believe the Cardinals will use one or more of these players, and perhaps even packaged with some of the other names on this list, to get that cost-controlled starter.

Dylan Carlson is traded to the New York Yankees

Even with the Yankees reportedly in "semi-sell mode" by possibly trading away some of their impending free agents, Dylan Carlson has been a target of theirs and would still make a ton of sense for their club.

Carlson has multiple years of control remaining, turns their outfield defense into one of the best in baseball when healthy, and still has upside with his bat to help their lineup improve for this season and beyond. The Cardinals are not using him in a way that will unlock his potential, so why not let capitalize on his value?

The Cardinals seem content riding with Tyler O'Neill as their third outfielder, which makes a lot of sense. He has very little value right now. As long as they have a reliable fourth option for their outfield like Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, or Alec Burleson, they can afford to run with O'Neill out there, especially since they are not contending this year. If he rebuilds his value, they can explore a trade in the offseason, or let him potentially rebound even more in a contract year next year.

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The Cardinals have been connected to a number of the Yankees' young arms, such as Clayton Beeter and Randy Vasquez, and the smoke has just been too prevalent not to turn into a deal before the deadline.

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