The Cardinals are exploring trades of outfielder Dylan Carlson and right-hander Giovanny Gallegos, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The club is set to add Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham in a trade that will subtract Tommy Edman, leaving them needing to open some active roster spots. Gallegos was already removed from the roster as he was designated for assignment yesterday. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers are interested in Gallegos while John Denton of MLB.com relays on X that the Guardians, Angels and Nationals are interested in Carlson, though the Guardians just acquired Lane Thomas from the Nationals, which presumably lowers their interest in Carlson.
Carlson, 25, has been getting squeezed out of playing time this year as guys like Michael Siani, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson have been out on the grass more than he has. The crunch will be even tighter whenever Pham officially reports to the club. As mentioned, the club will have to open a couple of roster spots, so perhaps a trade of Carlson will come together between now and tomorrow’s deadline.
“Right now, he’s still one of our outfielders, but clearly we’re gonna have a roster crunch at some point,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said of Carlson today, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat on X. “So we’ll use the next 24 hours to see what happens, but he’s still a part of our organization right now and we’ll see where that goes.”
Sending out Carlson now would definitely be a sell-low move for the Cards. Not too long ago, he was the club’s first-round pick and one of their top prospects. He also seemed to be establishing himself as a solid regular in the major leagues when he first arrived. In 2021, he got into 149 games and hit 18 home runs while drawing walks at a 9.2% rate. He also received close to league average grades for his outfield glovework and was considered to be worth 2.4 wins above replacement on the year, per the calculations of FanGraphs.
That was only his age-22 season, so it seemed fair to expect better results going forward, but the opposite has happened. In 2022, Carlson went on the injured list a couple of times, first due to a left hamstring strain and then a left thumb sprain. He got into 128 games with his production slipping a bit, finishing that year with a line of .236/.316/.380 and a 99 wRC+.
Last year, left ankle issues sent him to the IL multiple times, limiting him to just 76 games and ultimately requiring surgery. He hit .219/.318/.333 on the year for a wRC+ of 84, another dip in his production but perhaps one connected to his health.
Coming into 2024, he seemed to have a chance to engineer a rebound. Both Edman and Nootbaar were slated to start the season on the IL, which should have opened up plenty of playing time for Carlson. Unfortunately, just at the end of Spring Training, Carlson and Jordan Walker collided while trying to make a catch in the outfield. Carlson was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder and also had to start the season on the IL.
He was back by early May but, as mentioned, hasn’t been able to earn much playing time this year. When in the lineup, he hasn’t done much to earn a longer leash, having hit .198/.275/.240 here in 2024.
Perhaps some clubs will be eyeing Carlson as a change-of-scenery candidate. He’s been trending downwards for three straight years now but mostly due to injuries. It’s feasible that with some health luck and regular playing time somewhere, he could return to the form he showed a few years back. He is making a modest $2.35MM salary this year and has two more years of control left. He’ll be due raises in arbitration but won’t be able to push his salary up much based on his recent results and injury absences. Carlson also has options and doesn’t necessarily need to be traded, though the Cardinals may prefer to just cash him in for something now as he may no longer be in their future plans.
The Nationals have moved on from a few veteran outfielders already this year. Eddie Rosario and Víctor Robles were released and Jesse Winker was traded to the Mets. As mentioned, Thomas was just flipped to the Guardians. Perhaps they could slot Carlson in there next to James Wood and Jacob Young.
The Angels would be in a somewhat similar position. They are giving outfield playing time to guys who could be traded like Taylor Ward and Kevin Pillar. If they pull the trigger on a deal for either of those guys, they could grab Carlson in a buy-low move and give him some run for the rest of this year or perhaps next year.
Gallegos would also be a sell-low move, but the Cards don’t have much choice there. He’s an impending free agent and they already sent him off the roster and into DFA limbo. He was one of the better relievers in the league not so long ago, tossing 228 1/3 innings over the 2019-22 seasons with a 2.84 ERA. He struck out 32% of batters faced in that time and only gave out walks at a 6.6% rate, earning 33 saves and 56 holds in the process.
But his ERA jumped to 4.42 last year as his strikeout rate fell to 25.8%. Here in 2024, his punchouts have fallen to a rate of 22.3% as his ERA has climbed to 6.53. That got him nudged off the roster but the Dodgers have a solid reputation of getting good results from pitchers and perhaps see a way to get Gallegos back on track. He is making $5.5MM this year, with roughly $1.8MM still to be paid out. The Dodgers are slated to be third-time payors of the competitive balance tax and well over the top tier, meaning they face a 110% tax rate on anything they add to their payroll at this point.
Not sure why the angels would want Carlson, unless they move ward in a three team trade
Ward and Pillar are probably getting dealt. Nationals just traded Thomas so they certainly make sense too. I would bet anything Carlson is dealt in the next 24 hours.
@blackpink that’s the only thing I can think of is if you move pillar, and ward. Carlson could be a flier. If you throw in relievers
Cardinals need a reliever or 2 that’s what they will want. Garcia? That sounds fine to me.
Fun fact. Luis Garcia was a Cardinal in 2021. I gotta be honest I don’t remember that at all. He actually pitched pretty well. That’s who I want from the Angels.
Garcia was pretty dominant for a spell with St. Louis. After the season Mo said publicly they wanted to resign him and then he was signed next season by San Diego where he did well.
If the Angels trade them they will get back players. Why would Perry wand to be burned by Cards? They are known to strip your skin.
Yeah let’s get him back. Carlson won’t be missed.
@aragon estevez is gone, the rest of the relievers aren’t fetching anything of value. It would be like thor for moniak. This is being reported by several sources not the players involved but makes sense if ward, and pillar are moved. If we trade two outfielders, we would need one we already have two outfielder that aren’t cutting it, and adams is a worse version of adell
Detmers
Pillar is sure to get traded.
When was the last time the Angels were in a 3 team trade?
It does not seem to be in their wheel house to do it.
I believe in the Mark Trumbo/Tyler Skaggs deal involving LAA/AZ/CHW
This would probably be a swap of “change of scenery” candidates., Jo Adell for Dylan Carlson. Both have been given have been given half a dozen times to succeed and have failed time and times. Change teams/coaching/environment and see what happens. Both teams may not gain anything, but they definitely not losing anything.
I think that does make sense. But unfortunately the Cardinals want to make sure Matt Carpenter has a roster spot so there is no room for Adell with the Pham pickup.
As a Cardinals fan I am fine with Luis Garcia.
I don’t understand why any team would want him.
St. Louis didn’t want Lane Thomas either, so I guess the Nats are happy to fix their next OF castoff too.
Carlson won’t cost much and he’s a good change of scenery rebound candidate. I hope he does well with a new team
On top of you say, Carlson is also cost controlled for a 3 more years.
Everyone should want outfielders the cardinals don’t think are good. Avoid the ones they start
Burleson sure looks like the real deal
The Angels seem to be betting that he can find his form again in the state where he & his family are from.
I do wish him well. He’s a very likable young man.
Teams that are trading more desirable outfielders and clearing salary may need a low cost (in all senses of the term) backfill guy to stand in the outfield and may see a whiff of upside in Carlson as a reclamation project who might right the ship on a non competitive team that can afford to give him more regular playing time.
Run-on sentence of the day !
Grammar police comment of the day!
FTGP!!
Something like Derek Law or Luis Garcia sounds good for Carlson. There really isn’t a roster crunch like Mozeliak is saying there is room on the bench for Carlson. But he needs to go maybe he bounces back with a non contending team maybe he doesn’t he still needs to go.
Carlson is the latest in a very long list of overhyped Cardinals prospects who did not pan out with them. Jordan Walker may be next.
Yeah he’s 20, 21? Maybe give him a year or two to adjust.
Adolis Garcia, Lane Thomas and Randy Arozarena have entered the chat.
They messed with Walker’s swing and messed up his head! They should just give him a break and tell him to just let it rip. When he is right, the sound is there!
The team needs gap hitting, which is what he used to do! Letting Edman go was a an okay move for pitching!
Demerits for overuse of exclamation points.
Save them for real news, Dad.
I think Walker is in his own head. I’ll put the burden where it does the most good.
Move Carlson to the AL East and watch him pop!, Those softball fields they have in that league,he will thrive.
In my opinion the best situation for Carlson would be 4th outfielder on a non contending team who always plays against lefties. That should be his role and it would expand based on team injuries or perhaps performance. I think he’s cooked but who knows. Cardinals have traded lots of outfielders thar went on to perform elsewhere.
Why in the world would the Angels want him? Even if we do trade Pillar and Ward, Carlson is not a player worth giving up any asset for. They’re better off bringing up Adams or Marisnick.
Carlson was a Taylor Ward type of talent up until this year. The Angels could let him play and if he bounces back trade him a year from now just like they are probably going to do with Ward. It makes sense. They could get more for him in a year then they give up now.
@bigthin13 I wasn’t saying a asset but if someone wants Strickland or garcia, why not.
We also have Jason Martin and Bryce Teodosio playing well in Salt Lake. We have depth. I would go after one of the Cardinals’ pitching prospects if we are trading with them.
@that name probably just gauging offers now, i would personally wait to see if Baltimore is interested in garcia. I wouldn’t mind Carlson. If you think about it he’s probably getting someone that’s 15-25. That’s about right. Sounds like they have offers for pillar or ward, and are sniffing around.
Carlson is a better player when he’s in there every day. He showed in ST how good he was and was derailed by Walker being a bonehead.
The GM and Org does not know how to handle young players. The severely underqualified manager is terrible at getting the most out of the players and also understanding how to manage a game. But, the guy who couldn’t get out of A ball I’m sure is a whiz.
If they trade him, I’m sure he’ll be amazing on another team and it will be another miss by the org. Siani can play D, but he’s not an everyday player.
He has 3 options left. Memphis getting at bats is just fine for Carlson. Siani is one dive from the IL.
Yep, another bonehead play by Walker, who doesn’t belong in the outfield.
(Problem is, he doesn’t belong in the infield either, and now can’t hit.)
It wasn’t a bonehead play. they were both going all out for a ball that dropped between them and Carlson didnt call for the ball which was clearly shown in multiple replays.
Further Walker has turned himself into a pretty good RF. He has an absolute cannon and runs very well. He will end up a Matt Holliday or maybe even a Dave Winfield type hitter.
Is it just me?
The angels are only 9 and a half back of division, with two months left.
Doesn’t matter, who they trade, they still have a chance.
What if
What if they go 9-1 in the next 10 games
I like this team
They look much better than the record shows
In September the angels have 7 games with Houston
What if
What if they win all 7?
To me the angels are having a good year, not great.
To be within striking distance of the division, with their record is miraculous
What if
What if they win 12 in a row
This team is going to surprise everyone
Somehow Washington is cooking up a masterpiece
Stephanic can out hit everyone on the team, just needs playing time
Daniel and silseth can pitch
They have all the talent they need to win the division this year
Watch it happen
What if
What if they do not win World Series in 2024, they will in 2025
Remember the 02 angels
Remenber the titans
You like this team huh. They just lost 3 of 4 from Oakland! Yes, Oakland! Hair’s breath from losing all 4 games in the series. No way these bums get anywhere close to sniffing the top of this weak division.
It’s hair’s breadth, but we get the picture.
The Phillies lost 2 out 3 to the A’s in Philadelphia.
The Angels swept the Mariners in Seattle.
It means nothing.
But I do like what the Angels are doing. O’Hoppe, Neto, Schanuel, Joyce, Soriano, they’re all good solid pieces.
In fact, I think O’Hoppe and Soriano should have been All-Stars this year
I do think the Angels have much more talent than generally given credit for. I do think they will have a winning second half this season. They do seem to be playing more better and more consistency slowly as the season goes on.
Yes, the Angels just lost 3 of 4 from the A’s. Both of these teams with very poor records, but both teams have been playing much better of late. The A”s maybe the best hitting team in baseball this last month, Let”s look at how the A”s and Angels did the series just prior. They played the Astros and the Mariners and won to the tune of 5 of 6. While you could say the Angels were a hairs breath from getting swept, the 3 losses were just as likely to win. The A:s had 2 more runs in the series.
YES !!
It’s just you !!
Epic poem of hope or just another crazed fan’s fever dream?
Every time the Angels begin to play well, they go on a losing streak that sets them back to where they were. And they’ve been struggling lately vs Oakland—of all teams—having lost 8 of their last 10 against them. Had they gone 5-5 in those games vs Oakland, they’d be sitting 6.5 from first place, as crazy as that sounds.
orange2001- The Angels keep progressing and I thought they were playing good enough to win a lot of games in this stretch. Unfortunately, for the Angels they play most of its games against the A”s all at once. Oakland has been red hot for about a month, especially the hitting. I think they still got a chance to get closer. I hope the A’s stay hot a keep beating teams like the Astros and Mariners.
Remember the Alamo!
Darn optimist.
What if rally monkeys flew out my butt.
Who had the brilliant idea to put Tommy Edman in centerfield so he can come and make a diving catch and screw up his wrist. Just who was responsible for that Oli and Mo?
Especially when whoever played CF for the Cards had to avoid Walker taking him out at the knees and sidelining his career.
Edman is responsible for his own playing.
Edman is hung ho to play CF.
Why would the Nationals trading an outfielder make odds worse of wanting Carlson? They have an opening for an outfielder now.
I think it’s clear that’s the reason they would want Carlson is because they traded Thomas. And that’s why the Guardians wouldn’t need Carlson because they just got Thomas.
2021 breakout players who never came close to that year: Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neil, Vladimir Guerrero, Jonathan India, Cedric Mullins. I am sure there are many more. 2021 looks like another outlier.
Trade Carlson to Tampa Bay and watch him turn into Superman!
Angels should have traded for Thomas. What in the world do they want with Carlson, yet another sub-Mendoza outfielder? They already have two of them.
The Angels outfield is chock full of former first rounders in failed redemption campaigns – Moniak, Adell. Seems too on point to trade away the one first rounder who made good (Ward) in pursuit of a third also-ran.
@turksteeth it possible someone already has offers for pillar, and ward. And Carlson is the best the cardinals are offering for a reliever. Adell,moniak are probably on their way out if they don’t step up next year. They have been reporting on mlb network that angels are getting alot of interest on those players.
I’ve seen 6-7 teams in on Garcia. Just seems like a waste of a 25-man spot to trade such a coveted piece for an injury-riddled development project with decreasing defensive value in his third year of decline, when the Angels could likely pick up a mid-level pitching prospect or a reliever with six years of control.
@turksteeth it might not even be for garcia.maybe Strickland, but either way that would be about right. The decent returns will come from Anderson, and rengifo.
Carlson should bring back a very good reliever.
“Unfortunately, just at the end of Spring Training, Carlson and Jordan Walker collided while trying to make a catch in the outfield. Carlson was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder and also had to start the season on the IL.”
That play and the injury to Carlson were entirely the fault of Walker misplaying the ball (again) and not using any judgment in the outfield (again) to cause the collision. You could see Carlson was p*ssed off at the collusion and the injury, just when he was set to be the starting CF.
Another strike against the Cards’ FO and their use/ misuse of Walker.
You are completely wrong. it wasnt Walkers fault. See above. Makes me think you have something personal against him .
An outfield of Carlson, Moniak, and Adell just might be too much disappointment for any fans, let alone Angels’ fans. to bear.
Don’t worry. Angels’ fans will even cheer for a dead boby.
@bart Harley I would prefer to keep ward, but it’s slightly better than adams/moniak/adell
I’m about sick of these pu-ups y’all have started
It seems as if STL the past several seasons,
has 3 outfielders who once were good, but declined or seriously injured.
A few young outfielders who start but don’t produce.
And 47 other outfielders.
I think they clone outfielders.
I’m betting this means Trout is out for the year. Wouldn’t anyone have given him a heads up after surgery that it would be normal for scar tissue to break up when first running if that were the case? Has he even ran full speed on a treadmill? Do the Angels even own a treadmill? Do they employ prison doctors?
@devopettis arte has hired the best veterinarian in mexico. As far cardio he has old Richard Simmons vhs tapes
The Angels love 198 hitting OFers.
Please make the trade only if we give up our 30th rank prospect.
Mentions Angels and Nationals in the title yet not one mention in the comments about the Nationals. Everybody either loves or hates the Angels I guess.
If it’s the Nationals not mentioned…one would think the hate is towards them.
As a Nats fan I think Carlson is well worth the risk…
Nats are at the end of rebuilding and the Kid could fit nicely into their plans…with a new start new team who knows he could blossom into that 1st rd prospect he was suppose to be…
As an optimist I would like Carlson demoted to AAA, Memphis, to his grove going.
Maybe if they could let Dylan Carlson play every day for an extended period, he would become what expectations indicated. But no, they talk about it but he’s never been given a fair chance. Reminds me of Andy Van Slyke.