St. Louis Cardinals predicted to trade away several key players following season

St. Louis Cardinals predicted to trade away several key players following season originally appeared on The Sporting News

The St. Louis Cardinals are slipping in the MLB standings and may be headed towards the offseason with many roster construction question marks. 

There have been speculative trade rumors surrounding many of the Cardinals' top-level players, but none have materialized, and that became noticeable during this year's trade deadline when St. Louis was relatively quiet. 

However, this offseason may be the perfect time for president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, to give the keys to Chaim Bloom, and for the front office to make some big splashes in the trade market.

Cardinals predicted to trade away three players in the offseason

According to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, the Cardinals should trade away a 'conclave' of veteran players this offseason that includes Sonny Gray, Wilson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado:

"The complicating factor here is that all three of these players are in possession of full no-trade clauses. However, you would think they'd want to play for a team that actually intends on winning a title within the next two years, and perhaps a little sit down with this trio would grease the wheels on St. Louis' quest to save over $100M."

The no-trade clauses certainly play a factor, but with the trajectory of the Cardinals at this moment, a rebuild may be imminent, and these three players may want to head elsewhere on a contending team. 

Contreras would be the biggest acquisition of the three, considering he is having the best season. The three-time All-Star has a .255 average this season over 114 games and has added 16 home runs and an OPS of .787. 

For Arenado, his offense has taken a dip each of the past three seasons, and he likely wouldn't get as great of a return as the other two due to his age and contract. Sonny Gray has faced some inconsistencies this season, but still has value as a third or fourth option in most rotations. 

If the Cardinals are going to embrace the young movement and potential rebuild, shipping away their veterans seems like a plausible route.