Two Areas The Cardinals May Need To Address At The Trade Deadline

The Cardinals are entering the 2023 season as the presumed favorites to win the NL Central division.

While the Cubs and Brewers may be tough customers, all signs point to the Cardinals having the clearest path to their second straight division title. The offense looks strong with Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Tyler O'Neill, Tommy Edman, and Brendan Donovan. The bullpen should also be a strength.

However, when I look at the Cardinals as they currently stand, nothing screams "World Series contender." There are plenty of question marks that are still lingering and may need to be addressed.

For example, the starting rotation is far from a sure thing. With Adam Wainwright's velocity struggles and his recent injury, as well as both Steven Matz and Jack Flaherty returning from injury-plagued seasons, there is a potential cause for concern. The Cardinals had the opportunity to add some starting pitching over the winter but settled for Andrew Suarez on a minor-league deal.

While that isn't a bad deal by any means, better options were available. Obviously, they were never going to pursue the likes of Carlos Rodon, Justin Verlander, and Jacob deGrom, trades were possible and there were several serviceable starters on the free agent market such as Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, Chris Bassitt, and Noah Syndergaard.

Much to the dismay of fans, the Cardinals passed on all of them.

With that being said, however, the trade deadline will present another opportunity to add some additional pieces.

Here are two areas that the Cardinals may need to address at the deadline.

The Outfield

While the offense looks great so far with players such as O'Neill, Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, and Juan Yepez doing well in spring training, that doesn't mean that there won't be a need at the deadline.

O'Neill and Carlson both had down seasons in 2022 and dealt with various injuries that hampered their production, so there are still some question marks there. If the projected starters in the outfield underperform during the season, perhaps another big bat could be of use.

I was in the camp that believed the Cardinals should have tried harder for a left-handed bat such as Cody Bellinger or Joey Gallo. Ultimately, they may not have needed a big bat to begin with, but 2023 may be a make-or-break year for both Carlson and O'Neill.

The Cardinals are fortunate to have as much outfield depth as they do, with Oscar Mercado, Moises Gomez, and Alec Burleson in the system. Still, O'Neill and Carlson will need to prove themselves and stay healthy in 2023, and if they don't, the addition of another bat could be in order.