The St. Louis Cardinals are set to be sellers at the trade deadline for the first time since 2018.
St. Louis is in desperate need of pitching and also has a glut of young outfielders in their system.
Tyler O’Neill recently returned from the injured list, and on Monday night, he helped guide the Cardinals to an impressive comeback win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A late bases-clearing double put the game out of reach and could help O’Neill boost his trade value.
However, Katie Woo of The Athletic notes that as of now, the Cardinals don’t appear to be inclined to move him.
The Cardinals have a decision to make regarding Tyler O'Neill and how he fits into their long-term plans. As for now however, it doesn't appear the #STLCards are inclined to move him at the trade deadline.
More here: https://t.co/TXPKBnNxBQ
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) July 25, 2023
This could mean a number of things.
Given O’Neill’s injury history, it’s possible that the Cardinals feel as if they won’t get much in return for the slugger.
But if the Cardinals truly plan on keeping him around, then it directly goes against President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak’s comment from last week about everything being on the table for St. Louis.
The Cardinals will certainly be an interesting team to watch at the deadline.
The team is set to sell and any moves they make will likely be geared towards retooling for 2024, as Mozeliak did say that he intends for the Cardinals to be back in postseason contention.
St. Louis heads into Tuesday’s game with a record of 45-56.
They are 11 games back in the NL Central and nine games back in the Wild Card race.
If O’Neill is held onto, St. Louis could look to trade Dylan Carlson or Alec Burleson.
NEXT: Adam Wainwright Comments On Strong Return From Injured List
