The trade idea that Cardinals fans don’t want to think about but must consider

Ask yourself a quick question…

Can the St. Louis Cardinals win a World Series with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado on their roster? Right away, just answer. Don’t think about it too hard.

The answer is no, they most likely can’t, so maybe you build for a more formidable attack.

An idea that will send sports fan shrapnel my way should be considered as the team climbs out of their worst season in over 30 years. Something that would rattle the cages of Cardinals’ fans everywhere. A roster-altering move that would be the most polarizing subject in this sports-driven town.

Yeah, the Cardinals need to consider a blockbuster trade that would send one of their studs out the door, but also bring in a genuine boatload of talent at the same time. John Mozeliak has pulled off blockbuster trades that brought in big names to bolster the lineup, but it could be the one that brings in a pitching reboot squad that restores order to an underperforming roster.

Think about it. The team has made two modest signings for the rotation so far, moves that will provide innings at the very least. But they need a true injection of pitching power on both fronts: bullpen and rotation. I could soak the happy upside of the Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson additions, and still come up asking for more bacon. A trade like this brings in both something to start games, and a weapon or two to help finish them.

No, I don’t want to outright ship out either of these beauties. Arenado will bounce back from an off year, at least by his standards. He’ll put in the extra work. The guy works overtime in the offseason to correct flaws in his game. He’s an animal for competition. Arenado is the guy who times himself while making a quick Walmart visit on a Sunday afternoon. He probably rates his self-checkout speed, especially his “long wait” behind him ratio.

Goldschmidt will hammer baseballs well in his early 40s if he cares to hang around that long, a notion that the designated hitter addition in the National League enriches. He can play first for a few more years at a top level, and then just hang around smoking mistakes. But he’s also a guy who won the MVP a year ago.

Either one leaving will cause a pain to race through a fan’s spine. It’s impact the lineup at first, but ultimately open up opportunity. The fans who dream about superstars finishing their career in a place where they arrived midway through their time in the majors will despise the mere notion. But it rarely happens that way. They come and go, feeding a team’s needs in good and bad ways before serving another city’s sports needs. Trading them too soon is treason; too late is seen as malpractice.

Mozeliak should keep this in his holster as the winter dealing develops. Teams will ask. General managers will spring the idea, imagining filling their corner struggle with a Gold Glove maestro who can also hit the crap out of baseballs. Or the Paul Bunyan-forearmed lumber Goldmine. Maybe it doesn’t happen every year, but I’d be a less-than-seasoned executive if I didn’t dish a pitching-deprived competitor the dream scenario that eats dust 99% of the time.

If you could wring 2-3 more than modest talents in a trade like this, it’s not wild to consider the aftermath. This team isn’t as close to being back in the mix as glass-half-full fans would like to believe. They could rise up towards 80 wins with a few surprises as the roster stands now, but that’s not winning much in this league. Feeding the rotation and bullpen engine steers the ship away from bigger waves.

The bigger question is, do you trust management to spin the right moves and pull this team out of the gutter, at least back into wildcard contention? Fangraphs has St. Louis winning the Central, but that’s not as reassuring as it was last spring. I think most fans would say “no” to my question above. The Cards can’t outbid other teams in free agent sweepstakes, and most of the time it’s a good thing when looking back at the potential cost. But they could outsmart another G.M. in a trade, something Mozeliak has done in the past.

The hesitation to such a deal is the fact that the Cardinals haven’t won as many trades as they used to. Walt Jocketty dances circles around Mozeliak when it comes to reloading a team and staying ahead of other suits. He was pragmatic instead of enigmatic. Can you trust Mo, DeWitt Jr, and Michael Girsch to pull the right trigger in a deal this huge?

Remember what Jimmy Duggan told Dottie Henson:

“It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.”

It’s going to be a tough walk no matter what with this team. Lucas Giolito or Sonny Gray would complete a nice but needy rotation, but a trade could bring in a piece that was still firing yet carried too much value to hold onto. Their needs become St. Louis’s fortune.

Once again: I don’t want to trade these guys. It’s just a time in their careers and this team’s needs that forms a more secure than one would like to believe. They’re both so much fun to watch, baseballs marvels at work. But the enjoyment we as watchers get pinpoints the value other teams see.

Arenado and Goldschmidt are coming off less-than-stellar seasons, again when judged by their lofty expectations. But they were top five MVP finishers in 2022, with Goldschmidt winning the award. Each of them have finished in the top ten MVP voting six times in the last decade. They’re pros at a still ripe age.

Who would I rather trade, if I had to make a choice? Arenado. I trust more in what Goldschmidt could offer over the next 5 years. The former Rockie has more years on his deal, which will run for a good while and doesn’t include opt-outs. He could bring in more players.

They were brought here a few years ago to help the team win their 12th World Series title. That plan has failed so far, but is there a realistic hope that they could pull it off in the next five years? After all, Arenado will be 33 years old in April and Goldschmidt turns 37 in September. There’s a less than 20% chance this team has a true path towards the series during the last chunk of their careers. Maybe too low, or perhaps too high.

Their arrival had championship hopes, but their exit could spur a clear path back to the upper echelon of postseason contention. It would hurt at first, but the prospect of it doesn’t scare me as much as one would outright think.

Reality: It’ll most likely NOT happen, but considering it is where the intrigue lies.

Maybe I’m crazy. Either way, thanks for reading and enjoy those leftovers.

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports