Paralysis was not an option.
If the prospect-valuing Cardinals were going to swim in the deep end of the Juan Soto waters, where desperation will drown pragmatism every single time, then they had to be honest with themselves about their limits and proactive about pursuing other plans to improve this team outside of a Soto grand slam.
The chance of Tuesday’s trade deadline coming and going without generational talent Soto slipping into a Cardinals uniform was always high, at least to those who did not allow themselves to be misled.
