The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees nearly agreed to a trade for Dylan Carlson, but it failed because of the potential return package.

Just hours prior to the MLB trade deadline, Brian Cashman opted to take a stand — his Yankees would be buyers, not sellers. This stance surprised executives around baseball, as New York is in last place in the AL East, and 3.5 games back of the Wild Card.

Without many high-leverage players remaining on the trade block, Cashman turned to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees had been connected with 24-year-old outfielder Dylan Carlson prior to the deadline. New York made an offer, but it wasn't what the Cardinals were looking for, per Jon Heyman.

"He [Brian Cashman] went the other way and looked to buy, and Dylan Carlson was the one guy left, offensive player with the Cardinals that fit that was controllable that would have been a good piece for them," Heyman said, via MLB Network. "They did offer prospects for Dylan Carlson. The Cardinals wanted to get a controllable starting pitcher back, and the Yankees just didn't have that guy to offer."

MLB Rumors: Yankees tried to trade for Cardinals OF Dylan Carlson

St. Louis had previous interested in minor-league starting pitcher Clayton Beeter. It's unclear if Beeter was discussed in this trade, but it's hard to believe the two sides couldn't agree to some form of compensation given the number of minor-league arms in the Yankees system.

Frankly, this isn't surprising coming from Cashman, whose indecisiveness cost him a chance to trade away rentals and rebuild for 2024. As for the Cards, John Mozeliak doesn't inspire much confidence either, but good on him for holding out on what St. Louis needed most — young, controllable arms, of which they now have plenty thanks to the deadline.