Padres have the roster to make Cardinals veterans waive no-trade clauses this offseason

The offseason looms large for the San Diego Padres, who will be looking to replace multiple starting pitchers and multiple members of the lineup who they'll be losing to free agency.

They'll need to look for replacements, and one strategy would be to trade for veterans. Trading for veterans would probably not cost as much as trading for younger players, who tend to command more of a return. If San Diego looks to add veteran names to the roster, they could probably keep the few highly-rated prospects they still have in their farm system, which would obviously be ideal.

Padres are built to tempt Cardinals veterans into waiving no-trade clauses this winter

If they do go the route of trading for veterans, one intriguing team to call would be the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing finish to the season of their own, and have a roster full of veteran talent.

That includes Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas in the starting rotation, and Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras in their infield.

All four players would likely be able to contribute to the Padres (although Arenado wouldn't make much sense with Manny Machado already locked in at third base for the next few years). There is a slight problem, however. All of the Cardinals' veterans have no-trade clauses in their contracts.

It was reported by Bob Nightengale that at the deadline, the trio of Gray, Mikolas, and Contreras all exercised their no-trade clause, which prevented the Cardinals from shipping them out of St. Louis.

“The Cardinals would have loved to move starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas, and first baseman Willson Contreras, too, but all three told the Cardinals they would not waive their no-trade clauses,” Nightengale said.

Interesting. The Cardinals are willing to make moves, but the players said no. Could San Diego convince any of the three to waive their no-trade clause and come to the West Coast?

You have to believe they could. San Diego is a roster ready to win now, and full of star power. And players love to play in San Diego, a fun city with good ocean views and a strong community and fanbase. The Padres also have a winning culture in place, having reached the postseason three of the last four years.

Of course, we can't predict for certain, but if Gray, Mikolas, or Contreras were ever going to waive their no-trade clause, San Diego is probably one of the few teams that would make the cut. It's at least worth a phone call with new Cardinals president Chaim Bloom.