The Cardinals are selling at the trade deadline, but what could the future of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado hold in regards to that?

Several key questions remain unanswered leading up to the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, but one thing that now appears certain is the St. Louis Cardinals' plans. In the simplest terms, they are going to sell. And they are going to sell pretty aggressively, it seems.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently stated that the organization is going to work to improve for 2024 and the future at the trade deadline. For the most part, that all but assures that pending free agents such as Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Jordan Hicks are gone. It could also mean that guys like Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill or maybe even Lars Nootbarr could be moved.

But what about Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado?

The reigning NL MVP and the perennial All-Star third basemen both have no-trade clauses in their contracts that they would need to waive, but if the Cardinals are serious about acquiring future assets, then looking to trade their two biggest stars would obviously yield the biggest return, though it would be an admission of hitting the reset button fully (which might not be the worst option at this point).

If that happens, though, the nuclear option to blow up the Cardinals roster might not be done by the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals blowing it up with Goldschmidt, Arenado trades could last until offseason

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who has previously suggested that the Cardinals would be best-served to trade Goldschmidt at the deadline with 1.5 years remaining on his contract, discussed the future of the two stars in St. Louis. He noted that, if the Cards do move Goldschmidt, then it makes the most sense to also trade Arenado.

The big key with that Rosenthal notes, though, is that there would be less urgency on the part of the Cardinals to trade Arenado. He's under contract until the end of the 2027 season and is a few years younger than Goldschmidt. That would obviously bring back a bigger return trade package in itself, but it also means that the value won't decline too greatly if a trade suitor isn't aggressive enough at the deadline. Rosenthal noted that, should this scenario play out, the Arenado part of the equation could roll into the offseason.

Will any of this transpire? That's where we get back to the uncertainties of the trade deadline, even with the Cardinals. It's not a question of if St. Louis is going to sell, but rather a question of when they sell, if they go full Oppenheimer and blow it all up.