Three trade deadline deals that together make the Cardinals a postseason threat

This move might burn down Twitter but makes way too much sense

Could you imagine what would happen if the Cardinals traded Dylan Carlson to the Washington Nationals for a reliever?

Part of me thinks it would be the most hilarious and fitting ending to the Carlson era that there could possibly be, while the other part of me knows I'll want to pull all of my hair out listening to people continue to pump the false narrative that Dylan Carlson was the reason the Cardinals did not land Juan Soto.

Honestly, I love this deal though. And I think it's the perfect blend of ironic and sensible that I could totally see it happening.

I have zero idea how to value Carlson at this point, and if the Cardinals want to move him, I think it will be far less than we would like it to be. Let's not forget that Tyler O'Neill, who had a top-ten MVP finish just two years prior and has provided far more value than Carlson when he's been on the field, netted the Cardinals Nick Robertson and Victor Santos this offseason. Everyone knew the Cardinals wanted to move O'Neill, and it would be the same situation here with Carlson if they went that route.

Still, I'm sure a club can talk themselves into the fact that Carlson is under club control for a few more seasons and was once a top prospect in all of baseball, but I think you're probably looking at a reliever in some kind of swap at this point.

While I have no idea what teams would actually want Carlson, what we do know is that Washington at least thought very highly of him back in 2022. Not highly enough to get a Soto deal done without throwing in Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Tink Hence, and a few other prospects as well, but it's clear they liked Carlson a lot. So if there was any team in baseball who may give you a nice bullpen piece in return for Carlson, you would think it would be the Nationals.

Floro is having an excellent season with the Nationals this year, posting a 2.06 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched. He's going to wow you with his stuff that includes a low-90s sinker and below-average swing-and-miss, but his sinker-slider combination has certainly gotten the job done this year. You are also acquiring a veteran arm with a good track record here, as Floro has maintained a 3.26 ERA over the course of nine seasons, with the real blip in his radar being his 2023 campaign.

I highly doubt Carlson will help the Cardinals snag an elite reliever at this deadline. I know Richie Palacios got the Cardinals Andrew Kittredge this past offseason, but he has six years of club control remaining, and there was a lot of potential to bet on there. Yes, there is upside to hope for with Carlson, but I just don't think the Cardinals have the leverage here to get more than someone like Floro.

Adding Floro to the group of Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Fernandez, Matthew Liberatore, and John King enhances the Cardinals bullpen even more so, which is already a top-10 unit in baseball.