The Cardinals should have traded Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in 2023

This may be seen as a bit of a controversial take. Obviously, time has passed since last year's disaster. The Cardinals finished 71-91 and in last place in the NL Central. They then got straight to work to fix the starting rotation, the main culprit of their issues in 2023, adding Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn.

But last year, they had a choice to make at the trade deadline that at the time seemed obvious but now is a lot less certain. Before they went into to sell mode, the Cardinals declared that Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado were untouchable and chose not to trade them. Rumors later began to circulate about the Dodgers showing interest in Arenado, but the Cardinals squashed them pretty quickly.

Fast forward to now. The Cardinals held onto Goldschmidt and Arenado, which in retrospect looks like it was the wrong choice. The Cardinals should have been focused on adding Major League-ready starting pitchers last year at the deadline that could help them in 2024 and beyond. But none of the guys they picked up were truly MLB-ready.

In hindsight, the only way they could have accomplished that goal is if they traded at least one of Goldschmidt and Arenado. Yes, the two stars have no-trade clauses and can veto any potential deal, but last year, it was clear the Cardinals weren't going anywhere. Their value was also high coming off of MVP-caliber seasons. Goldschmidt had won the MVP and Arenado had finished third in the race the previous year.

Now, their value is much less, meaning the Cardinals missed a golden opportunity to trade them and actually get something of value. I get that it would be seen as waving the white flag, but the Cardinals had options they could pursue in order to get back into contention.

First of all, they wouldn't have had to be quite as aggressive on the pitching front in the offseason. It's not a bad thing that they were, but it caused them to forget about improving the offense, and those struggles have been highlighted by Goldschmidt and Arenado both having down years.

They still could have signed Sonny Gray, but they also could have gone after a few quality bats that wouldn't have cost that much. Perfect examples include Justin Turner and J.D. Martinez. At this point, Goldschmidt and Arenado are just dead weight dragging the offense down, and as crazy as it sounds, I think the offense could be a lot better without them.

Obviously, they can't trade either one now. And why would they? They're in possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League and seem to be pointed towards at least reaching the postseason. But the postseason is where both of them tend to struggle. They went flat in the Wild Card Series against the Phillies a few years back, and that ultimately played the biggest role in their downfall that October.

But they could have a far better rotation, plus a stronger offense without two aging stars dragging them down. Yes, Martinez and Turner are also aging, but they're still performing up to par, while Goldschmidt and Arenado are not.

Trading both stars wouldn't necessarily have been jumpstarting a massive rebuild, because guys like Willson Contreras were still around. Plus, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, Jordan Walker, and Masyn Winn were set to make an impact.

Now, the Cardinals are stuck with Goldschmidt through the end of this season and stuck with Arenado through the 2027 season. It's not exactly the best place for them to be right now.