Mozeliak: Cardinals 'going to trade people' but not waving white flag
The St. Louis Cardinals are gearing up for a busy deadline as sellers.
"We are where we are now, and there's no excuses, we're just not playing like we hoped we would," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told Braxton Wheeler of Bleav. "Now it's going to be, like, how do we think about the next three-to-four weeks and what changes can be made? We're not necessarily waving the white flag, but all decisions or all moves we do really will try to set us up for next year."
The Cardinals are in the midst of a dismal campaign, sitting dead last in the NL Central at 38-52 and 11.5 games back of the first-place Cincinnati Reds.
"I think right now I can tell you we're going to trade people," Mozeliak continued. "I just don't know if it's going to be, like, household names or more of guys who just aren't likely going to be here next year."
If the Cardinals opt only to trade players on expiring deals, pitchers Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, and Chris Stratton are all eligible to test free agency this winter. Here's how those pitchers have performed this season:
| Pitcher | GP | IP | ERA | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Montgomery | 18 | 103 | 3.23 | 3.52 |
| Jordan Hicks | 36 | 36.2 | 3.93 | 3.12 |
| Chris Stratton | 34 | 45 | 4.20 | 2.99 |
| Jack Flaherty | 17 | 92.2 | 4.27 | 4.01 |
| Adam Wainwright* | 11 | 51.2 | 7.66 | 5.87 |
* - Wainwright has been on the injured list since July 4 with a strained shoulder
On top of currently being sidelined, it would seem unlikely that the Cardinals would trade Wainwright, who's played his entire 18-year career with St. Louis and has also struggled this year.
If the Cardinals opt to shop household names as well, they would likely be able to find multiple suitors for Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Willson Contreras. The Cardinals are mere months removed from agreeing to a five-year, $87.5-million contract with Contreras, but the three-time All-Star is struggling and briefly had catching duties stripped from him midseason amid controversial roster decisions from sophomore skipper Oliver Marmol.
Goldschmidt, 35, is owed $26 million in the final year of his deal next season, while Arenado, 32, has four years and $109 million remaining on his contract through the 2027 campaign.
Outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who was benched earlier this season and has one year remaining of arbitration eligibility, has factored into early trade rumors. The 28-year-old is hitting a paltry .228/.283/.337 with two homers and one stolen base over 29 games.