Cardinals Reportedly Actively Looking To Trade Gold Glove Outfielder

The St. Louis Cardinals have a well-known log jam in the outfield and clear needs elsewhere -- especially on the pitching side of things.

St. Louis currently has outfielders Alec Burleson, Óscar Mercado, Lars Nootbar and Juan Yepez already on the active roster with Dylan Carlson (left ankle sprain) and Tyler O'Neill (lower back strain) on the injured list. They also have the No. 1 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, Jordan Walker, waiting in the wings with Triple-A Memphis.

While injuries are constant and depth is massively important, the Cardinals would be wise to move at least one or two of these players in exchange for an upgrade to the pitching staff. One player reportedly already is being shopped.

"St. Louis has hitters galore and rivals believe Tyler O’Neill could be available," The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Friday.

While that report on its own is far from concrete, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that O'Neill was almost traded to the Miami Marlins last winter and likely will continue to be shopped.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote that they will "listen to offers" on O'Neill as well as Carlson, Burleson and Yepez.

O'Neill is hitting just .228 with six extra-base hits including a pair of home runs, six RBIs and a .620 OPS in 29 games. St. Louis would not be selling high on the two-time Gold Glove outfielder but he does have another season of team control and the larger sample size implies he'll be a much more productive player moving forward. A move would make it easier for manager Oli Marmol to sort out his outfield -- possibly with Walker in the mix.

Marmol and O'Neill had a well-documented spat after the skipper accused his rangy outfielder of not hustling home after being thrown out. While that matter became a bigger deal than it should have been, it should not be a major factor in choosing who to trade. O'Neill makes the most sense given his age, contract situation and current level of play.

The Cardinals will be in the market for pitching and O'Neill could be one of the main players in a package for a quality hurler.

More MLB: Angels' Shohei Ohtani Linked To Cardinals As Top Destination For Potential Trade

Published May 26, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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