After the Cardinals' series loss to the Reds, St. Louis may be thinking about making some drastic changes at the trade deadline. Here are three Cards to trade.
The St. Louis Cardinals just keep reaching new lows.
The Cardinals dropped a division series against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday, losing 4-3 in a game that felt truly winnable. And that's the problem: Most of them do. That marks the sixth straight series that the Cardinals have lost in their nosedive of a season. They are 12 games under .500 and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting dimmer by the week.
What's left for the last place team in the NL Central?
For a team that has nothing left to lose, the Cardinals have a small handful of valuable trade chips they can use to, at the very least, win some of their dignity back. They may have fallen far from the pedestal of this season's expectations, but that doesn't mean they have to wallow in disappointment for the next few months.
These are three Cardinals players who could be up for sale.
Cardinals trade candidate No. 3: Jack Flaherty
All injuries and no play makes Jack Flaherty a viable trade candidate. Flaherty, who is set to enter free agency at the end of this season, has been the picture of inconsistency for the Cardinals in 2023.
St. Louis are running out of ways to justify keeping him in the pitching rotation, and the statue of limitations for saying "But he looked fantastic in 2018 and 2019" has passed. Flaherty's injury-plagued woes has seen him play just 39 games in the last three years.
This year, Flaherty is crawling to a 4.15 ERA in 69.1 innings and a 1.50 WHIP. When healthy, sure, he could maybe be considered one of the more surefire pitchers on the mound. But ever since his 2019 season he's fought an uphill battle to stay in shape, and durability is a real concern. In his seven-year career, the right-hander has only pitched more than 100 innings twice.
Plus, Flaherty going off a reporter earlier this season just makes him seem out of touch with his game, not to mention insecure about it.
At 27 years old, Flaherty can still provide some value to St. Louis — as a trade chip. Move on the from the ace and find a better starting pitcher.
Cardinals trade candidate No. 2: Dylan Carlson
The talk of the season has been the Cards' lackluster center field, and Dylan Carlson makes out to be a fine scapegoat.
Prior to the 2023 season, the Cards' projected starting outfielders (Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar) were all primed to take on a larger role. All three players have since suffered injuries, and one of the Cardinal's biggest perceived strengths has now become a weakness.
If the Cardinals are looking to shake things up on offense, they should consider trading a young talent like Dylan Carlson for perhaps a more reliable cost-controlled starter (Carlson won't be an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026 season).
The 24-year-old finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, scoring 18 homers with 65 RBIs. Carlson has slowed his pace in the last two years, posting an average 99 OPS+ in 2022 and a 98 OPS+ in 2023; however, the explosive outfielder has the defensive chops and power to make an impact on many playoff-contending rosters.
While O'Neill likely stays on the Cardinals as the club's go-to starter, Carlson may be on the outs amid St. Louis' overall sluggish offensive form in 2023. The Cardinals should be able to get their money's worth in a potential Carlson trade and could start looking for suitors in the following weeks.
Cardinals trade candidate No. 1: Jordan Hicks
Relief pitcher Jordan Hicks may have outstayed his welcome in St. Louis.
The Cardinals may not be ready to part with the 26-year-old, as Hicks does have strong attributes to potentially grow into a steady piece in the bullpen. He throws hard, is good at forcing ground balls, and has plenty of experience as a closer. The question the Cardinals have to ask themselves is: Is that enough?
Hicks' 2023 season stats wave a bright red flag. He has a 4.73 ERA in just 26.2 innings and a 1.69 WHIP. His most recent performance against the Reds tells St. Louis everything the club needs to know: Hicks entered a tie game at the top of the eighth and promptly walked Elly De La Cruz, marking Hicks' league-leading seventh leadoff walk of the year.
Adam Wainwright said after that game that the Cardinals are finding different ways to lose. Well, the Cardinals are finding out that putting Hicks out there late in games is one surefire way to do so.
The Cardinals can choose to send Hicks down to the minors to work out his pitching issues, but as of now, Hicks is too much of a liability to include in the bullpen rotation. If Hicks and the Cardinals don't agree on a minor league assignment, the Cards could test the waters to see what a player like Hicks would command at the trade deadline. A young arm with high upside could provide immense value to other teams, just not for the last-place, down-bad Cardinals at the moment.