The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have a lot of work to do this upcoming offseason. It's obvious that they are going to need pitching, both for their starting rotation and their bullpen. But there are other things that need to be done as well.
For instance, the Cards have a logjam of outfielders within the organization, yet they do not have enough spots for all of these young outfielders. Further complicating matters is the fact that two of their star utility infielders, Brendan Donovan and Tommy Edman can both play affectively in the outfield.
Dylan Carlson is an outfielder that is essentially being squeezed out of a spot in St. Louis. He has also struggled with his health in recent years and is currently out for the season recovering from ankle surgery.
But with so many outfielders already in tow for the Cardinals, addressing that logjam this coming offseason will be important. This means that they'll have to trade one or more of their young outfielders. In this piece, we will explain why trading Carlson would make sense for the Cardinals this coming winter and why it might be their only option with him.
MLB Rumors: Why the Cardinals only have 1 option with Dylan Carlson
Back in August, the Cardinals were actually in talks with the Yankees about a potential trade for Carlson, which was covered here on the site. St. Louis was hoping to obtain cost-controlled starting pitching in that deal.
However, Jon Heyman reported that President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak ultimately rejected the Yankees offer, as they did not have any cost-controlled starters to give St. Louis. Still, this is a potential idea that could be revisited in the offseason.
The Cardinals know that they'll need to add pitching, and one way they can do that is by potentially clearing the logjam in the outfield. Granted, Carlson alone would probably not get them an ace-level pitcher, but if he were packaged with some pieces, it could work out.
But at this point, Carlson is essentially blocked in the Cardinals system. Jordan Walker has emerged as their starting right fielder, and it's unlikely that Lars Nootbaar will be traded. Tommy Edman also took reps in center field this year, so Carlson may not have a starting spot any longer.
The Cardinals will finish below the .500 mark for the first time since 2007, and they'll need to be aggressive when looking for pitching. Trading Carlson could help alleviate the outfield logjam and get them what they need.
