If the Yankees buy at the trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals could be a prime partner, especially with something like this proposed blockbuster.
The St. Louis Cardinals shouldn't have any shortage of trade suitors as they look to unload pieces to help the club retool the roster around Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado (who aren't going anywhere) for the 2024 season. It's all about which buyers can offer the best returns.
Could that, perhaps, be the New York Yankees? At least for the part of the Pinstripes, there's a move that could make a ton of sense, as proposed by Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required).
Bowden suggested seven big-name trade proposals on Thursday and one of the juicy options on the table was the Cardinals sending right-hander Jack Flaherty and young outfielder Dylan Carlson to the Yankees. For New York, it would address the need for another outfield bat — though they would likely prefer a left-handed hitter — while also giving the team rotation depth that they direly need.
But how realistic would the trade be?
MLB Rumors: Cardinals, Yankees connected for Jack Flaherty, Dylan Carlson trade
The big question about the legitimacy of Bowden's proposal would be what the Cardinals could get in return for Flaherty and Carlson from the Yankees. The insider did offer some options in that regard, all of which would address St. Louis' need to build out their own rotation for 2024 and beyond with Miles Mikolas and Matthew Liberatore looking like the only sure things as of right now in that capacity.
Bowden floated 24-year-old right-handers Will Warren and Randy Vasquez as options, among several other lower-level prospects. Having said that, the fact of the matter is the Cardinals are looking for prospects who could potentially help the club next season, so relying on anyone in Double-A or lower would be risky — Warren and Vasquez, though, are in Triple-A just a step away from the bigs.
With the value of both Yankees prospects, that might be enough to get the Cardinals to budge, though they might also look for a sweetener added on, though that may depend on what they can get for Jordan Montgomery or a number of other trade assets.
In any case, though, something like the Cardinals-Yankees trade proposed by Bowden would make a ton of sense for both clubs. Now it's just about making the deal happen.
