Grading St. Louis Cardinals trade packages for this year's trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most fascinating teams to watch as the trade deadline is a little over a month away. They've been the most disappointing team in baseball outside of the New York Mets, and have so many different directions they could go at this trade deadline.

Some believe they should trade away superstars like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, but those rumors should be shut down barring a full-on rebuild on the horizon. Others still hold out hope for significant pitching upgrades that could be coming here soon. There's also a strong chance that the club sells off some of their impending free agents at the deadline this year.

The next few weeks of play will determine a lot of how this unfolds. Should the Cardinals falter and go on another losing streak, it's likely you'll see them add very little to their big league club outside of improvements for 2024 and beyond. But even just a few weeks of good baseball could put them in a position to do some "buying" as well.

We asked Cardinals' Twitter to submit trade packages that the Cardinals should look at this year. While I couldn't break down all of the ideas, there were actually a lot of very interesting packages suggested, and it really made me ponder for a while which moves made the most sense.

On the new few slides, I'll be grading each of the suggested trade packages, and briefly giving my take on them. I did my best to separate them into different categories to keep similar kinds of trades together.

Here are my grades for the Cardinals trade packages that were submitted

Dylan Cease trade packages

From @NootNewsPod

Cardinals get: Dylan Cease
White Sox get: Tommy Edman, Michael McGreevy, and Luken Baker

First, shout out to the Noot News Podcast. Been on with them before and they are a fun crew. While I like the theory of the deal, I think it's missing at least one more very valuable piece for the White Sox to entertain it. Edman needs to be the 1A or 1B in terms of value in this package, with McGreevy and Baker rounding it out as extra pieces, not being the second or third-best guys they get in return.

Grade: C

From @ajordan5

Cardinals get: Dylan Cease and Keynan Middleton
White Sox get: Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, and Max Rajcic

This is more so the kind of value I think it'll take to acquire Cease. I also really like the idea of getting Middleton from Chicago to help bolster the 6th thru 8th innings for St. Louis.

I think there will need to be one more sweetener in here, someone like Gordon Graceffo potentially. Maybe they could get away with adding two smaller pieces, like Juan Yepez and Michael McGreevy? But I really like what is cooking here and think it at least keeps the conversation going with the White Sox. Would I give up Masyn Winn for Cease? I'm not really sure honestly, but this is the kind of package it'll look like, just with a bit more added in.

Grade: B+

Trade packages for other White Sox starters

From @scottcriscione

Cardinals get: Michael Kopech
White Sox get: Victor Scott II, Jake Walsh, and a PTBNL

Scott, I really like your thinking here, but I would probably say there would need to be significant value added to it as well. I think Victor Scott II would be a very interesting piece for Chicago, but with Kopech's remaining control, his elite stuff, and how he's been pitching lately, I would lean toward a package that looks more like this - Gordon Graceffo, Juan Yepez, and Victor Scott II.

On the season Kopech is 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA, but he's really come on as of late. In his last 7 starts, he has a 2.01 ERA with 53 SO in 40.1 innings. Since he isn't a free agent until 2026, it'll take a lot for them to be ready to move on.

Grade: B-

From @Yadithegoat

Cardinals get: Lucas Giolito
White Sox get: Tyler O'Neill, Moises Gomez, and Dakota Hudson

@Yadithegoat, or "Sir Packy of Naughtonham" as his other name on Twitter, also suggested this package for Cease, which I think would be an F grade since the White Sox would never do it. But for Lucas Giolito, he's on to something.

If the White Sox decide to just cash in on impending free agents like Giolito and fringe roster guys with value rather than a full "blow it up", they may be interested in a package like this. O'Neill has another year of control and could be either a huge piece for them next year, or they could get even more in return for him next season if they sell. Moises Gomez has so much power, so they'd be able to see if it works at the big league level, and Dakota Hudson is just a depth arm at this point. They may need something a bit better than him in this thin pitching market.

For the Cardinals, if they are making a deadline push, this is a great deal for them. They offload three players who won't contribute for them and get a major rotation piece for the second half. I do think Dakota Hudson would need replace with a more valuable player, but this is worth a conversation.

Grade: B

From @mjeter9

Cardinals get: Lucas Giolito and Kendall Graveman
White Sox get: Dylan Carlson, Matthew Liberatore, and Paul DeJong

Michael is one of our newest writers at Redbird Rants and we are so excited to have him on the team. I think he nailed this trade package as well.

The pitching market is going to be competitive, so pieces like Carlson and Liberatore will be necessary to get pitching like Giolito. It would be an overpay if not for Graveman, which is where I think this deal comes together. If I'm the Cardinals, I probably want to try and give up a little less value here, but overall, it's a good idea.

Grade: A-

Shane Bieber packages

From @MastheAce25

Cardinals get: Shane Bieber and Adam Civale
Guardians get: Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson

@MastheAce25 submitted multiple interesting deals, and we'll get into some very creative swaps he proposed later. This deal looks promising, but I do have a few things I think would need to be changed.

First, I think Edman/Carlson as the meat of a package for Bieber gets this deal really close. I think one more prospect of decent value makes this a very strong offer that I'm not sure the Guardians could refuse. Second, if the Cardinals want Civale as well, they'll need to up the offer even more, as he has plenty of team control still and has been pretty good for the Guardians this year. That's the main thing bumping the grade of this deal down since I think it's too much for Cleveland to give up.

Grade: C+

From @BrentGossett4

Cardinals get: Shane Bieber
Guardians get: Dylan Carlson, Juan Yepez, Michael McGreevy, and Chandler Redmond

You're very, very close to making a deal happen, Brent. I could see the Guardians wanting one more difference-maker in a package like this, especially if other teams begin making aggressive offers as well. If you replace one of Yepez, Redmond, or McGreevy with a Burleson or Graceffo, I think this gets done.

Grade: B+

Other packages for starting pitching help

From @Mahomes2Arenado

Cardinals get: Eduardo Rodriguez and Alex Lange
Tigers get: Ivan Herrera and Ian Bedell

This trade made me think for quite awhile. It would personally make me uncomfortable to give up Ivan Herrera for one half of Rodriguez, especially since he's been injured as of late, but you do get a controllable arm like Lange as well.

I personally wouldn't do the trade and I don't think the Cardinals would either, but I'm sure the Tigers would love it.

Grade: B

From @NootNewsPod

Cardinals get: Jesus Luzardo
Marlins get: Ivan Herrera and Tyler O'Neill

If the Cardinals were offered this by the Marlins, I think the deal would get done in a heart beat. I think Miami would probably want one more piece, like a Juan Yepez, and then I see this as an easy win-win for both sides.

Grade: A

The Cardinals upgrade their bullpen

From @WesselTrey

Cardinals get: Scott Barlow and Aroldis Chapman
Royals get: Juan Yepez, Moises Gomez, and Michael McGreevy

I think this is of of my favorite trades submitted. Trey, well done. I could see there needing to be more value here, maybe replacing Gomez with a little bit more valuable of a prospect, but overall it's a great move for St. Louis, and I believe the Royals as well.

The Cardinals get two really good relievers to lock down their bullpen with Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos, and hopefully the return Ryan Helsley. This would shorten games for the Cardinals for the rest of the season and would make their playoff bullpen elite, probably the best in baseball.

Grade: A

From @LetsGoCards13

Cardinals get: Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont
Royals get: Dakota Hudson and Luken Baker

As much as I'd love this trade for the Cardinals, I don't think it's enough value for two relievers with club control remaining. Staumont has struggled the last two seasons but still carries a little bit of value. Barlow has been off this season as well but is still a very talented reliever.

I think the idea of acquiring both of them in a package is really smart, but it'll take more than a low ceiling guy like Baker and a throw away starter in Hudson.

Grade: C

From @BradsBsblBlog

Cardinals get: Drew Thorpe and Brando Mayea
Yankees get: Tyler O'Neill and Michael McGreevy

I can't stress enough how much I love this fit. The tricky part for me will be convincing the Yankees to part with their best pitching prospect in Drew Thorpe, but since he's the number six overall prospect and seven through nine are also right-handed pitchers, I could see it.

Thorpe was drafted in the 2nd round by the Yankees in 2022 and has pitched really well in High-A this year. He has a nasty changeup, and a good slider, but a fastball that sits in the low 90s that occasionally touches 95. His ceiling is a bit higher than McGreevy's but he's not some future ace. He could be a very good number-three starter but should have a floor as a back-end starter.

Mayea was the Yankees' $4.35 million international signing in 2023 and is currently their 10th-ranked prospect. He represents a very high-ceiling player with all of the tools in the world. Honestly, he's like Tyler O'Neill, but with a bit less natural power and the potential for a plus bat. Scouts think he could have plus or better tools across the board. He's still only 17 though, and has a projected ETA of 2028.

For the Yankees, they grab Tyler O'Neill in a "win-now" push for this season. They also get an extra year of control with him, which is huge. Their outfield defense may be the best in baseball with O'Neill, Harrison Bader, and Aaron Judge, and if O'Neill's bat bounces back, he makes their lineup dangerous. Michael McGreevy gives them a young arm that could even contribute this year, or slot into the back end of their rotation for 2024. With huge contracts dished out to Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rondon, they need some cost-controlled arms to factor into their rotation.

Grade: A+