Ranking the Cardinals 6 most valuable trade candidates they can sell this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals are facing the reality of self-proclaimed "reset" this offseason. This may end up being the most interesting winter this organization has seen in decades due to the wide range of moves we could see them make.

I can't remember an offseason where the Cardinals were sellers on the trade market. We saw them embrace that identity for the first time at the 2023 trade deadline, but that was supposed to be making the most of a lost season in order to get the train back on the tracks. It was a temporary identity. Now it is a philosophical shift.

One could argue this is a temporary one as well. If they truly pull this off as a "reset" rather than a rebuild, they could be back on their feet in 2026 and trending toward contender status once again.

It's more likely that the Cardinals will have a bit of a longer road back to their true goals of contender status. Getting back to just barely being good enough to make the playoffs is not where Chaim Bloom set the bar at their press conference. They want to get back to being one of the premier organizations in baseball, but it is going to take time to get there.

Because of that, it seems likely that the Cardinals will move multiple veterans this offseason as they prioritize player development and shift their window for contention toward future years. The Cardinals could still be competitive in 2025 with a young core, but winning will not be their main priority next season.

With that being the case, it makes little sense to hold onto names like Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras, among other highly-priced veterans on their roster. Instead, St. Louis should look to capitalize on their trade value now, thus adding value to their farm system or major league club that can help them in 2026 and beyond.

Today I wanted to rank six of those potential trade candidates in the order of trade value I believe they have. There are multiple things that need to be considered when making this list, such as their ability, contract, age, and whether or not they have a no-trade clause. All of these things impact their value in some way and result in where they were placed on the list.

Here are the 6 most valuable trade candidates the Cardinals can sell this offseason