St. Louis Cardinals' mentality for 2023: If you hit, we'll find a position for you

#3 - Injuries will create opportunity throughout the year

In 2022, Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Harrison Bader all missed significant time with injuries over the course of the season. At some point in the season, one of the Cardinals' OF/DH/2B options will get hurt, opening up more playing time for other names on that list.

This is not to mention potential significant injuries to the likes of Goldschmidt, Arenado, or Edman. No one wants to or expects to see that happen, but should any of those guys go down for an extended time, the Cardinals' current depth can help cover their production to some extend and remain competitive in the midst of it.

Should the Cardinals make moves now to "clear out" some of this log jam, they may end up having to acquire replacements later this season if the injury bug hits harder. Back to why the Cardinals would trade, yes, getting an ace right now would be awesome. But outside of the fact that there are not really any available, making that kind of trade now is really pinning your season to whoever you keep around, which is a risky decision when you just do not know the future production or health of many of them.

Could an opportunity present itself soon that is too good to pass on? Sure! But unless that happens, there really is no harm in waiting to see which bats rise to the occasion for the Cardinals' own lineup, and then working to make a deal with those you are willing to part with. The Cardinals have the rotation and bullpen necessary to get them through at least a few months of the season, and if catastrophe does strike their pitching, then they'll have the resources necessary to repair the gaps.