The Cardinals are in talks for Pablo Lopez, here is what the trade may look like

Trade #1 - Dylan Carlson for Pablo Lopez

In my opinion, the Cardinals would be selling very low on Dylan Carlson in this trade, but based on their willingness to part with him in other deals this off-season, I think the possibility of a Carlson-Lopez swap has to be considered.

It is no secret that the Marlins want to improve their lineup and specifically would like to upgrade in center field. Carlson is a former top prospect in all of baseball and was very good in his rookie season for St. Louis, but 2022 seemed to put a bad taste in the mouth of fans. Carlson dealt with a wrist injury that limited a lot of what he could do offensively and it showed. His .695 OPS made him tough to play consistently down the stretch in 2022, especially against right-handed pitching.

Carlson is far too talented to repeat the same struggles he had in 2022. What's encouraging is that even in a down season, he still put up a .845 OPS against left-handed pitching and played Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field. It seems likely that Carlson reestablishes himself as a promising player in 2023.

For the Marlins, grabbing Carlson would be a great way to swap one of their many starters for a controllable center fielder who could end up hitting at the top of their lineup for years to come. If I were the Cardinals, I would look at a different deal instead.

Trade #2 - Tyler O'Neill and Joshua Baez for Pablo Lopez

Similar to Carlson, Tyler O'Neill seems too talented to not rebound in a big way in 2023, especially if his new training program helps solve some of his injury woes for St. Louis.

O'Neill only mustered up a .700 OPS in 96 games in 2022 but is just a year removed from being a 50% above league average hitter with a .912 OPS while winning a Gold Glove and finishing 8th in MVP voting. O'Neill has talked this off-season about his arbitration case weight heavy on his mind last season and impacted his play, and he made it a priority this off-season to resolve it so he could focus on his play in 2023.

While I would love to see the Cardinals hold onto O'Neill and prove himself once again, if the Cardinals do think they need to move an outfielder to clear up some of the logjams, I could see why O'Neill is someone they would explore dealing for pitching. He is the closet to free agency out of their current outfielders, so there is an appeal in holding onto Nootbaar, Carlson, and Jordan Walker as the outfield of the future.

Still, I struggle to give up on O'Neill, especially while his value is so low, because of the big bat he could return to being in 2023, which is exactly why the Marlins would want him. O'Neill would be capable of playing center field for them, but would also bring a powerful bat to the middle of their order that could help transform their offense. There is risk involved with O'Neill though coming off a down, injury-prone year, which is why I think they would want a prospect like Joshua Baez as well.

Baez was a second-round pick for the Cardinals in 2021 and has a ton of raw power, that if tapped into, could project him to be a slugger in the vein of O'Neill. He still has a lot of developing to do, so he represents a long-term project for Miami to look into.

Trade #3 - Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson for Pablo Lopez

The third and last trade is another combination of young bats that the Marlins could see as major upgrades to their offense, while the Cardinals trade from their logjams. Again, I don't really support the deals, but I can see a world where the Cardinals pull the trigger.

Nolan Gorman was one of the guys the Cardinals were willing to part with this off-season for the right player. With the emergence of Brendan Donovan this past season, and the potential of Tommy Edman sliding back to second base long-term when Masyn Winn arrives, Gorman is someone the Cardinals could look to capitalize on the value of.

Gorman did not set the world on fire during his rookie campaign, but I do think fans are harder on him than he deserves. Yes, his strikeouts are a major problem (103 SO in 283 AB), but he still managed an .721 OPS and had 27 extra base hits in just 89 games for the Cardinals. Gorman has legit power that can see him become a 30-40 HR a year guy at second base, which is extremely valuable.

The Cardinals really should find Gorman as many at-bats as they can at second base and DH this season, and allow him to grow as a hitter. I am sure the Marlins would love to see him in the middle of their lineup every day instead.

Alec Burleson is another guy who has a ton of talent but it's hard to pin down his role with the Cardinals. Nootbaar, Carlson, O'Neill, and Walker all appear to have inside tracks over him in the outfield, and even Donovan will see time out there. Juan Yepez will compete with him for at-bats DH along with Gorman, so flipping Burleson could make a lot of sense.

Burleson had very limited time in his Major League debut but slashed .331/.372/.532 with 20 HR and 87 RBI for Triple-A Memphis in 2022. Burleson is a corner outfielder and first baseman, and despite the really good hit tool he has, I am not sure he will be able to have consistent at-bats without some injuries happening first.

It would not shock me if any of these three trades went down before or during Spring Training. I would not be a huge fan of any of them, but I can at least see the logic for St. Louis. What do you think of these trades? Would you make a move for Pablo Lopez, or wait for a better option?