Mozeliak now says Cardinals will be sellers at the trade deadline. Who’s most likely to go?

“Right now I can tell you that we’re going to trade people,” Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told KTVI’s Martin Kilcoyne in an interview which aired this week. “I just don’t know if it’s going to be household names or more of guys who just aren’t likely to be here next year. It’s easy to talk about what we may or may not do at the moment, but we’re not going to just give away players.”

Mozeliak’s choice of euphemism notwithstanding – he also said the team is not currently “waving a white flag” – the message and the method could not be any more clear. This team will be a seller at the August 1 trade deadline more firmly than they have been in any year under Mozeliak’s leadership.

But what does it mean to sell? Who are the household names on the block, and who’s most likely to be headed out the door? When considering this impactful pending reset, it may be helpful to break down players into categories.

Have To Move: Starters Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery, relievers Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton

Each of the four pitchers will reach free agency this winter, none of the four has made any progress of note in pursuing an extension in St. Louis, and all would have at least some value to a contending club looking to shore up their staff. This is the simplest category of all – if a team won’t make the playoffs and has free agents it isn’t going to re-sign, they should be traded at the deadline.

Montgomery is the only of the four who comes with a caveat – the Cardinals are yet to release details about the hamstring injury he suffered in Chicago prior to the All-Star break, and potential suitors are already asking questions. Moreover, he would be the only player of the four likely to receive a qualifying offer, guaranteeing the Cardinals compensation should he leave.

Still, that pick is likely to be around 80th overall, and there’s every expectation that a greater return in both quantity and quality should be found around the deadline.

Drew VerHagen is also a pending free agent this winter. If Mozeliak is able to return any talent for him at all, he should be a candidate for Executive of the Year.

Time Seems Up: Starter Dakota Hudson, outfielders Tyler O’Neill and Juan Yepez

Hudson entered spring training lightly penciled in as the first name on the outside of the team’s rotation picture. A terrible season for Triple-A Memphis, complicated by injury, has seen him fall out of favor entirely. Likely to be non-tendered this winter, a fresh start would be helpful for all parties.

So too would new surroundings give a boost to O’Neill and Yepez, assuming the former can demonstrate his ability to stay on the field and the latter has teams who believe in his ability to be an impact bat. The Cardinals seem to have preferred to leap others, such as Luken Baker, ahead of him on the internal depth chart.

Organizational frustration with O’Neill makes it difficult to see where he fits into the team’s future outfield picture; ironic, given the number of now-stars who were tossed overboard or not pursued at all due to a belief that he would eventually surpass them.

Sure To Be In Talks: Relievers Génesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley, shortstop Paul DeJong

Each of the three relievers has team control past this season, and each has already drawn interest from bullpen-hungry rivals who envision innings being eaten in postseason games. Helsley’s forearm strain will keep him out through the deadline, so the timing to trade him may not be right; it’s likely any team with interest will want confidence that he’ll be able to contribute, and the Cardinals won’t have a reason to sell low. He’s perhaps more likely to be revisited in the offseason.

DeJong can also be a free agent this winter if the Cardinals decline the team options they hold for 2024 and 2025; given their price tag, they’re almost certain to do so. It’s the price tag that complicates DeJong’s situation this year, as well. He’ll be owed somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million for this season on deadline day, as well as a $2 million buy out of those team options.

It’s to DeJong’s credit that he’s played well enough to be in the trade conversation. Turning those conversations into deals might require some financial footwork on the part of the Cardinals and a mate, though the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a logical destination for DeJong since Gavin Lux was injured in February.

Household Names: Catcher Andrew Knizner, utilitymen Brendan Donovan and Tommy Edman, infielder Nolan Gorman, outfielder Dylan Carlson

Knizner may be a stretch as a household name, but he’s taken big strides this summer as an acceptable backup while playing into a roster crunch. Iván Herrera, back on track as a prospect, is out of options starting next season, and Knizner will be arbitration eligible for a second time. He may be running out of road.

Any of the three second basemen – Donovan, Edman, Gorman – could be at the center of a shakeup trade that might bring pitching assistance in the years moving forward. Edman is closest to free agency of the three, with two more years of team control following this season.

In the midst of a career-worst season at the plate – while being asked to take on an immense defensive load that includes learning center field on the job – Edman still could command a hefty extension in the coming years. If the Cardinals are not prepared to offer such a deal, he’d be in high demand.

None of Carlson, Donovan and Gorman are particularly likely to be traded, but none would be off limits in the right deal. Several reporters have linked the Cardinals to the Seattle Mariners and their young starting pitchers; to get, one has to give, and those three may well be at the center of an unexpected swap.