The Cardinals were on the receiving end of a deflating loss to the Chicago Cubs in the first game of their London Series. Changes are coming for St. Louis.
Barring a major change in the NL Central standings between now and the MLB Trade Deadline, John Mozeliak sees the writing on the wall for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cards entered the season as favorites to win their division, and potentially contenders to win the NL. That is not their reality in late June. Mozeliak and the front office should embrace their failure, as the team they constructed is not ready to make a serious postseason run.
MLB Rumors: Will the Cardinals be sellers at the deadline?
Per MLB Trade Rumors, Mozeliak is preparing for the inevitable, though that does not mean a complete rebuild is on the horizon:
"I would hope the Cardinals are not allowed to rebuild," Mozeliak told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat), in reference to the "pressure" St. Louis fans put on the team to remain perpetual contenders. This is the only scenario that Mozeliak seems to have ruled out in regards to the trade deadline, since "as we sit here on the 23rd of June, we still don't know exactly which path we'll walk. From a front office standpoint, we have to start preparing."
St. Louis has plenty of players on the final years of their current deals. While a trade for Paul Goldschmidt, for example, seems unlikely, there are other players who could help replenish the farm system or even add to the current big-league squad in some way.
Tyler O'Neill, Jack Flaherty, Dylan Carlson, Jordan Montgomery and more are reasonable trade candidates, and they wouldn't deplete the team of talent come 2024. If anything, trading those players would give this St. Louis organization some directive come next offseason.
Considering the current core, any wasted season is tough to swallow. However, it may be necessary.
