Bernie Show: Alec Burleson, trade candidate?

In today's video, I follow up on something said by St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak during the team's annual Winter Warm-Up: he doesn't want to trade away pitching, but he might be interested in trading a position player.

Interesting. Who could that be? Who are the REALISTIC trade candidates among the St. Louis position players?

Nolan Arenado isn't in the conversation because the Cards are already trying to trade him. First baseman Willson Contreras has two years left on a contract which pays $18 million annually, though the Cards have a team option for 2028. It includes a $5 million buyout if the Cardinals decline to pick up his option for 2028. That brings the total of guaranteed money owed to Contreras up to $41 million. But he has a full no-trade contract and is enthusiastic about remaining with the Cardinals.

If this is about moving a salary to clear some payroll space, the other Cardinal position players aren't expensive to keep; among them only Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar will be moving into a higher salary bracket. In their first year of salary arbitration, Noobaar and Donovan have submitted requests of $2.95 million and $3.3 million, respectably, for 2025. But those salaries could come in slightly lower than that through a settlement or in the final arbitration ruling.

OK, so does any other position player fit the profile of a trade candidate?

Alec Burleson is a possibility -- in theory, anyway. In today's video I explain why I could see the Cardinals putting "Burly" on the trade market. Not that they will ... but I don't mind trying to come up with an answer to an unsolved mystery. Please offer us your own opinion on this. Thanks.