The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most underwhelming teams in the MLB, leaving some players on thin ice for being part of the team's future.
There aren't many teams that have been as disappointing this season as the St. Louis Cardinals have. They were coming off a year in which they won nearly 100 games and were looking to be competitive for the World Series in 2023. But the 2022 season has no impact on results in 2023 and the Cardinals are witnessing this firsthand.
Following a rough first half of the season, they went all in as sellers and shipped away multiple pieces at the trade deadline, igniting their rebuild. With the level of disappointment that 2023 has reached, there are a few players on thin ice down the stretch of the season.
Dylan Carlson is on thin ice for being part of the Cardinals' future
The idea of Dylan Carlson not being in the Cardinals' future has already been rumored and discussed by the team. Around the trade deadline, Carlson was nearly traded to the Yankees, but the deal failed at the buzzer. Now, weeks later, the young Cardinal has only seen his season get worse.
On the season, the 24-year-old is only slashing .219/.318/.333 with 14 extra-base hits in almost 80 games played. But this year has only gotten worse for Carlson, especially after the trade deadline. Since Aug. 1, the outfielder's slash line is .105/.217/.211, going 2-for-19 with two doubles and three RBIs. His poor play this year could be cause for the Cardinals to explore more trades with him in the offseason and then into next year.
Anybody who plays this poorly will be under the microscope by their team. It's hard to imagine a player being a crucial piece of the young core if they're struggling so mightily in their fourth season in the big leagues. Not only that, but Carlson doesn't have a tremendous track record that could support that 2023 is just a fluke season. In fact, 2022 wasn't much better while 2020's Covid season was a terrible stretch of 35 games.
Tyler O'Neill is on thin ice for being part of the Cardinals' future
Joining Dylan Carlson as the Cardinals outfielders on the hot seat is Tyler O'Neill, who's seen his fair share of struggles in the Cardinals' 2023 season as well.
On the year, he holds a slash line of .241/.310/.405. Not only has he struggled on the field, but he's struggled to win the fans and his teammates over for the entirety of the season.
J.T Buchheit of Redbird Rants said it best:
With St. Louis selecting an outfielder in the recent draft, while also being multiple years away from competing again, a mutual departure in a trade this coming season wouldn't be the worst-case scenario.
He enters his final year of arbitration, making him an almost certain candidate to be traded next year on an expiring contract.
O'Neill will definitely be on thin ice as the season continues down the stretch.
Paul Goldschmidt is on thin ice for being part of the Cardinals' future
This may seem maddening to many and honestly, it may be. But there are quality reasons behind the idea of why Paul Goldschmidt may not fit in the Cardinals' World Series window, which leaves him on thin ice for the rest of the season.
The idea is that the Cardinals just entered a rebuild that'll likely put them out of contention for the next few seasons. Goldschmidt, at 35 years old already, likely won't be the same productive player in his 38-, 39- or 40-year-old season, when St. Louis is back to being competitive in a few years.
There's also the idea that Goldschmidt's contract expires at the end of the 2024 season, which could end his time with the Cardinals anyway. If St. Louis isn't competitive next season, Goldschmidt could be an intriguing option to deal at the deadline.
To make matters worse, the former MVP has struggled mightily in the month of August. So far, he's slashing .213/.275/.255 in 47 at-bats while only scoring one run. Cardinals fans should have the veteran under a microscope for the foreseeable future.
