Cardinals Could Shed At Least $20 Million From Payroll In Wild Rotation Fire Sale

St. Louis has options outside of Nolan Arenado

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals' main objective this offseason was to trade Nolan Arenado, as the front office hoped to significantly reduce payroll and reset.

Unfortunately, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has failed to find a trade suitor for the eight-time All-Star, leaving St. Louis with nearly the same roster it had in 2024 -- with the exceptions of Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Kittredge, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.

However, the Cardinals still have plenty of time left to make something happen. Perhaps St. Louis should revisit the idea of poaching from the rotation to facilitate a trade.

"There’s one way the Cardinals could inject some more youth into the roster and create space in the payroll: trading from the rotation," MLB Trade Rumors Nick Deeds wrote Friday afternoon. "Both (Sonny) Gray and veteran righty Miles Mikolas have no-trade clauses and appear unlikely to waive them but veteran starters Erick Fedde and Steven Matz are both pending free agents who lack no-trade protection. Both players reportedly received interest from rival clubs earlier this offseason and while the Cardinals at the time appeared focused on dealing Arenado rather than from the rotation, the unlikelihood of an Arenado trade could change that calculus."

Following the Boston Red Sox's signing of third baseman Alex Bregman on Wednesday, the Cardinals aren't left with many trade options for Arenado, as that was his top landing spot.

Fortunately, Fedde and Matz will become free agents next offseason, so there's a chance the Cardinals will shop them at the trade deadline anyway -- why not move them now?

Fedde is owed $7.5 million this year and Matz is on the books for $12.5 million, totaling $20 million. Considering Arenado is likely not going anywhere, the Cardinals should trade both veterans before Opening Day to secure spots in the rotation for youngsters such as Quinn Matthews and Michael McGreevy.

Who knows? Perhaps Mikolas would be more open to being traded if Fedde and Matz are moved -- eliminating his $17.7 million salary from payroll as well would be monumental for the Cardinals' reset goals.

More MLB: Here's Why Cardinals Exec Was Afraid To Trade Nolan Arenado This Offseason