Blue Jays Reportedly Pursuing Intriguing Cardinals Outfielder In Possible Trade

Should St. Louis deal away one of its young outfielders or give him another chance?

The St. Louis Cardinals have a logjam in the outfield but it could end up getting cleared up this offseason.

St. Louis has been in trade rumors seemingly since the 2023 season kicked off. The Cardinals entered the campaign with Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O'Neill, and Dylan Carlson all fighting for playing time with injuries also playing a role. St. Louis also has Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez on the 40-man roster. Plus, Tommy Edman also saw time in the outfield. 

The Cardinals need to add pitching this offseason and can trade away some of their outfield talent in a larger package to get a deal done. Carlson is expected to draw plenty of trade interest and one team that reportedly is interested in a move is Dylan Carlson, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

"The Cardinals are open to dealing from their outfielder and infielder depth to acquire pitching and streamline their major league roster," Goold said. "Trades could bring clarity to their outfield, for example. They are going to entertain offers for Gold Glove winner Tyler O’Neill, multiple sources said. A few teams, including Toronto, have asked about Dylan Carlson, according to another source. The Yankees are shopping for two outfielders and want to add some 'left-handed balance' to the lineup, general manager Brian Cashman said."

Carlson is an intriguing player to watch out for. He is just 25 years old and has shown flashes at the big-league level. In 2021 he clubbed 18 home runs and drove in 65 runs across 149 games and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He has dealt with a plethora of injuries and appeared in just 76 games in 2023, but may have solid trade value. Toronto has some young pitchers that could be of interest to the Cardinals. Maybe the two sides could come together on a move.

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