The St. Louis Cardinals were swept in an completely uncompetitive series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first series out of the All-Star break, and that could put some things into motion. The team had been straddling the line between buying and selling all season, but their most recent struggles made the team's path more clear.
However, some of these seemingly easy decisions come with some hang-ups. Whether that is because of being poor fits on other teams (Nolan Arenado), young guys at their lowest value (Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman), or pesky no-trade clauses that hinder the team's ability to make deals without the player's approval.