NL East Club Reportedly Looking To Acquire Young Cardinals Outfielder

St. Louis could end up trading a homegrown outfielder in the near future

Patrick McAvoy | Jul 30, 2024

Jun 30, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan (33), outfielder Michael Siani (63), and outfielder Dylan Carlson (3) celebrate after defeating the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

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One St. Louis Cardinals outfielder seems to be garnering a lot of trade interest.

The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline is just a few hours away and at this point, it would be surprising if outfielder Dylan Carlson remains with the Cardinals after it passes. Carlson hasn't been able to get his footing with St. Louis this year and now after landing Tommy Pham, he is expendable.

Carlson was mentioned in trade rumors a lot last year, but the Cardinals ultimately ended up hanging on to him. It doesn't seem like that will be the case this year and one team that reportedly is showing interest in him is the Washington Nationals, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"Nats are interested in Dylan Carlson from Cards," Heyman said. "Nats have helped turn Cardinals into better players in the past: (Lane Thomas), (Juan Yepez), (Matt Adams)."

Carlson was expected to be an important piece for the Cardinals for years to come after being selected in the first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. He came onto the scene strong and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021. He has plenty of talent and upside but injuries have completely derailed his career.

But, he is just 25 years old and can turn things around. It may be hard to do so in St. Louis because of the fact that there now is a logjam in the outfield and possibly less playing time. Landing in Washington could be great for Carlson and could help bring back something for St. Louis if the two sides can get a deal done.

More MLB: Cardinals Predicted To Land Red-Hot Outfielder To Bolster Lineup

Published Jul 30, 2024

PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu