When Dylan Carlson inked a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs this past week, it stirred up a familiar conversation in St. Louis: the 2022 trade deadline and the Cardinals’ missed opportunity to land Juan Soto.
But let’s be clear – this wasn’t about Carlson. The real difference-maker in that blockbuster deal was San Diego’s ability to offer a young, MLB-ready arm like MacKenzie Gore.
That’s what tipped the scales in the Nationals’ favor. Still, there’s another layer to this story, one that’s often overlooked but could’ve changed the entire landscape of that deadline: Shohei Ohtani.
Yes, that Shohei Ohtani – the now four-time MVP and generational two-way superstar. Back in 2022, the Angels had a chance to move him.
The writing was on the wall. Ohtani’s departure from Anaheim felt inevitable, but the Angels doubled down on contention instead of cashing in.
And according to reports, the Padres – the same team that eventually landed Soto – made a serious run at Ohtani. We’re talking about a massive offer, one that included prized prospect Jackson Merrill and a package that may have even outpaced what Washington got for Soto.
Let’s pause on that for a second. If the Angels had pulled the trigger and sent Ohtani to San Diego, the ripple effect could’ve been seismic. Without the Padres in the Soto sweepstakes, the door would’ve swung wide open for the Cardinals.
St. Louis was built to make a run in 2022.
They had Paul Goldschmidt playing at an MVP level, Nolan Arenado in the thick of the conversation, and the emotional weight of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina’s farewell tour. That team had the talent and the urgency to go all-in.
And while the Cardinals reportedly put together a competitive offer – one that may have included names like Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Dylan Carlson, Nolan Gorman, and Matthew Liberatore – it just wasn’t enough to top San Diego’s package. In hindsight, that offer looks a little light.
But if the Padres had been out of the picture, the Cardinals may have been the last team standing.
Instead, the Nationals got Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood, and more – a haul that’s already paying dividends. The Angels, meanwhile, held onto Ohtani, only to watch him walk for a compensation pick and nothing more. That’s a tough pill to swallow for any front office, especially when a rebuild could’ve been jump-started with a historic prospect return.
And for the Cardinals? The “what if” still lingers.
What if Soto had been the final piece? What if Pujols and Molina had gone out with one more ring?
Instead, their final postseason run ended in a quick exit at the hands of the Phillies, and the team has struggled to find its footing since.
Now, with Carlson trying to revive his career in Chicago, it’s easy to look back and point fingers. But this was never about one player.
It was about timing, leverage, and a missed opportunity that started – and ended – with a superstar who never got traded. The Ohtani deal that never happened may have reshaped the 2022 deadline more than we’ll ever fully realize.
And for the Cardinals, it might’ve been the difference between a nostalgic sendoff and a championship parade.
