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The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to sell ahead of the MLB trade deadline. It's unclear just how much they will lean into a rebuild, but Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are being mentioned in rumors. One player who will likely be traded if healthy is outfielder Tyler O'Neill. St. Louis received a pair of injury updates on O'Neill and catcher Andrew Knizer on Saturday, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“Tyler O’Neill (back) went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Memphis. He’ll DH today, play the field Sunday and hope to be activated Monday. Andrew Knizner (groin) won’t be activated today but he’s clear. Cardinals are still contemplating carrying three catchers,” Woo shared on Twitter.
Cardinals' Tyler O'Neill is a trade candidate
The Cardinals traded OF Harrison Bader away in the midst of a playoff race a season ago. That was a different circumstance, as St. Louis received big league talent in return, but the point stands. This Cardinals' ball club won't shy away from dealing from their outfield depth.
OF Dylan Carlson is another possible trade candidate. However, O'Neill, who's 28-years old and would benefit from a fresh start following his early-season drama with head coach Oliver Marmol, is a likelier trade option.
The question is how much value the Cardinals could receive in an O'Neill trade. He was fantastic back in 2021, posting a .912 OPS while hitting 34 home runs and stealing 15 bases. He also played an impressive brand of defense. O'Neill has dealt with underperformance and injury issues over the past season and a half though. In 2023, he's appeared in just 29 total games.
If O'Neill returns on Monday like Woo reported, he will have an opportunity to build up some trade stock prior to August 1st's deadline. If he performs well over the next two weeks then perhaps the Cardinals will receive a better return for him in a potential deal.
We will continue to monitor and provide updates on the Cardinals as they are made available.
