The season has been a disaster for the St. Louis Cardinals from the start. The signature franchise of the National League expected to have a winning record and contend for the National League Central title once again. However, the 2023 version of the team started losing in April, and the team has not been able to reverse itself.

As a result, the Cardinals (38-53) are going to be in a sell mode as the August 1 trade deadline approaches. John Mozeliak, the Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, says the Cardinals have a number of assets and they have to decide which ones will be the best ones to move by the deadline.

The Cardinals have 3 players who will be free agents by the end of the season, and it seems likely that players like Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks and Jack Flaherty will likely be moved to playoff contenders. It seems probably that at least 2 of them — and perhaps all 3 — will be traded.

However, the Cardinals have other assets that can be traded. Superstars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt would undoubtedly bring handsome returns if either one or both were traded. The Cardinals would have to get approval from both veteran players since both have no-trade clauses, but it would not be a surprise if they were to gain the authority to make those moves.

The Cardinals find themselves in an unusual position, one that neither management nor the team's fans are used to. However, if Mozeliak can make the right moves, they may not find themselves in this position in the years to come.