The St. Louis Cardinals were right to hang on to these 3 players

2. Dylan Carlson

Dylan Carlson's name popped up more than any other Cardinals' position player, and the number of reports about a potential trade for Carlson only escalated as we got closer to the 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday.

Carlson was not moved, and the logjam in the Cardinals' outfield will continue for the rest of the season. Of all the Cardinal outfielders St. Louis could have moved on from, Carlson should have been off-limits from the start.

The former first-round pick is still just 23 years old and is the best defensive outfielder on the roster and has played better in center field than anyone else on the active roster, including gold glover O'Neill.

After finishing third in the Rookie of The Year voting in 2021, Carlson's numbers have slowly dipped over the last two seasons. He concluded last year with an average of .236 and eight home runs, and in 2023, he is hovering around .230.

The negatives surrounding Carlson are not because of his lack of skill but surrounding injuries that have plagued the outfielder, and when he has been healthy, he has not been given constant starting time in the outfield.

If Carlson can take over the everyday centerfield position for the Cardinals for the rest of the season, you can all but guarantee that his numbers will rise, and he will be able to prove to Cardinal fans why he was kept out of the Juan Soto trade talks from a season ago.