The Cardinals offseason has been defined by their attempts to trade third baseman . The club allowed key players like , , and to head into free agency this winter and did nothing to replace them as they focused on cutting payroll and starting a youth movement at the major league level. The club seemingly wanted to pair that with trades of some of its most expensive veteran players, but and both quickly made it clear that they werent interested in waiving their no-trade clauses. That left Arenado as the most prominent trade candidate on the roster, but the third baseman vetoed a trade to the Astros at the eleventh hour back in December and his market began to dry up rapidly after that. The final nail in the coffin appeared to be the Red Sox, Arenados last serious known suitor, signing to round out their infield mix. Now, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak its likely Arenado remains in St. Louis to start the season, the Cardinals are poised to enter 2025 with the most notable change as compared to last years team being a lack of Goldschmidt at first base. Theres one way the Cardinals could inject some more youth into the roster and create space in the payroll: trading from the rotation. Both Gray and veteran righty have no-trade clauses and appear unlikely to waive them, but veteran starters and are both pending free agents who lack no-trade protection. Both players reportedly from rival clubs earlier this offseason, and while the Jordan Leasure Jersey Cardinals at the time appeared focused on dealing Arenado rather than from the rotation, the unlikelihood of an Arenado trade could change that calculus. As MLBTRs Steve Adams for Front Office subscribers earlier this week, there are a number of teams around the league that could still use starting pitching help. Fedde in particular could likely bring back an enticing return as a relatively affordable rental starter who posted a 3.30 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 31 starts last year. The right-hander will make just $7.5MM in 2025, a sum that virtually any team could afford even during this late stage of the offseason. Matz is le s likely to bring back significant talent in return given his up-and-down trajectory over the years, but shedding some of his $12MM salary for 2025 would allow the Cardinals to add a veteran reliever to set up for closer or even take on a bit more money to try and facilitate the Arenado deal with a cash-strapped club like the Yankees. (The Cardinals reluctance with regard to trading Helsley, also an impending free agent, is another curious decision, .) In addition to the prospects and/or salary relief trading a veteran starter could net, the Cardinals would also more clearly make way for their young arms to get work at the big league level. Top prospect has yet to make his Triple-A debut but dominated Double-A last year and should be on the big league radar later this year. In the meantime, is already knocking on the door of the majors after posting a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings as a starter for the club last year. , and are among the potential starting options the Cardinals have at their disposal that dont currently have a path to major league starts. On the other hand, none of those options has proven himself in the majors. With Arenado now seemingly unlikely to move, the Cardinals may feel theyre better off trying to contend this year, at least in the first half when they still have the opportunity to pivot back towards selling at the trade deadline. After all, the Cardinals won 83 games last year despite their flawed roster, and a healthy season from Contreras, better batted ball luck from Gray, and a resurgence from Arenado could allow them to contend in an NL Central division that still looks relatively soft even after teams like the Cubs and Reds have made notable moves. Its also worth noting that, even without trading Arenado or a starter, the club has made at least some room for a legitimate youth movement to take place. Kicking Willson Contreras over to first base has opened up the catcher position for youngsters and , while the departures of Gibson and from the rotation have opened up a spot for after he impre sed in a rotation role last year. Other players like and figure to get more consistent playing time in 2025, and all it takes is an injury or two to get players like and more regular playing time in the majors as well. With Opening Day just six weeks away, how do MLBTR readers think the Cardinals should proceed? Should they double down on their youth movement and deal a starter like Fedde or Matz to salvage their offseason of inaction, or should they hold onto their veteran rotation pieces through the early days of the season in hopes that internal improvements could make them a legitimate contender? Have your say in the poll below: How should the Cardinals proceed? Trade a starting pitcher to jump start the youth movement. 60.12% (2,367votes) Keep the roster intact for the start of the season and rea se s at the trade deadline. 39.88% (1,570votes) Total Votes: 3,937 Bryan Ramos Jersey