Grading 8 Cardinals trade proposals our readers think need to happen this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals have already accomplished a few moves this offseason to stabilize their rotation, but in the words of John Mozeliak, they are not done yet.

While the Cardinals have already added three starting pitchers, they are widely expected to remain aggressive this offseason. They are very open about their desire to improve their bullpen, and they will be opportunistic about adding another starting pitcher if the right deal is there.

In light of that, I took to Twitter to ask Cardinals fans what trades they would like to see the team make this offseason, and I decided to grade different trade proposals based on the following criteria:

1. How realistic is the move for both sides? As much as I'd like to trade Dylan Carlson straight up for Dylan Cease, the White Sox are not doing that.

2. If the deal is realistic, how much would the Cardinals benefit from that move? Are they getting good value in return for what they are giving up?

3. How the trade would fit within the scope of the moves they have already made that offseason.

Here are 8 trade ideas that our readers submitted and how I would grade them.

Let's start off with an idea from site contributor and fellow host over at the Noot News Podcast, Sandy McMillan. The Cardinals would be acquiring two former top prospects in baseball, Nate Pearson and Alek Manoah, from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The cost here would be Dylan Carlson and Travis Honeyman, which seems like a fair price to pay to get two arms with a high upside. Pearson spent time in the Blue Jays bullpen last year and could be brought back as a starter, or provide the Cardinals with another dynamic arm for their bullpen.

Manoah has been rumored for the Cardinals for weeks now. In 2022, Manoah was a Cy Young candidate, and last year, he completely fell apart. The upside here is very real, but remains quite a risk.

Dylan Carlson himself has been disappointing at the big league level, so this is an opportunity for both the Blue Jays and Cardinals to get a change of scenery guys at positions of need.

Trade Grade: B+