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PHOENIX — The St. Louis Cardinals’ top executives gathered for three days in a suite at Chase Field this week, making calls, exchanging texts, swapping ideas and formulating a game plan. 

They despised every waking moment of it. 

The Cardinals have watched plenty of teams go through the process over the years, trading away proven players for prospects and building for the future. 

There are teams that have excelled at it, like the Baltimore Orioles who have built the pieces to a powerhouse. There are teams who have stunk at it, with the Kansas City Royals actually worse now than five years ago when they started. 

If there’s ever a time to sell off veterans for prized prospects, this is the year, with executives calling it the best seller's market at the trade deadline in 20 years. 

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Now, for the first time in his career, John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, is experiencing life on the other side. 

Instead of trading prospects to get to October, they are going to be trading valued players to make sure this is a one-year blip. 

So, can the challenge be invigorating? 

“No," Mozeliak says. “No. No. No.’’ 

Is it better than being on the bubble, with no idea which way to go like so many other teams this year? 

“No, it’s awful," Mozeliak tells USA TODAY Sports. “Just awful.’’ 

That bad? 

“I don’t find it enjoyable at all," Mozeliak says. “I wish we were winning. And I wish we weren’t going down this path. 

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“This is a first for me. 

“And I hope it’s the last."

The Cardinals, who have dominated the NL Central for nearly three decades, reaching the postseason 16 times since 2000 with four pennants and two World Series titles, are now having a season for the ages – the dark ages. 

They are on pace for their worst record in 107 years, going back to 1915 when they were 60-93. They are 46-59 entering Saturday, and on pace to go 70-92 for their first losing season since 2007. 

Only, they are about to become even worse.

They traded starter Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers on Sunday, and closer Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays. They now have starter Jack Flaherty on the trade block, and for a few days, even listened to trade proposals by the Los Angeles Dodgers for 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Yes, it has been that bad.

The Cardinals need pitching, pitching and more pitching, Mozeliak says, so they are parting with their three pending free-agent pitchers and hope that the prospects they receive in return can help them as quickly as possible.

Considering there are precious few pitchers available on the trade market, the Cardinals are taking full advantage, getting a bigger return than they should, collecting four top 20 prospects in their trades with Texas and Toronto, with teams desperately seeking help for their playoff run.

The Cardinals are also entertaining offers on outfielder Dylan Carlson, and infielders Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan and Paul DeJong.

“I think the most important way to think about it is,’’ Mozeliak said, “is to try to find a way to optimize this moment. Hopefully, we can.’’

He would love to flip the script on the ill-fated 2017 trade with the Miami Marlins for slugger Marcell Ozuna, trading away five prospects, including future Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and future Cy Young candidate Zac Gallen.

Ouch.

They already have teams like the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies tripping all over themselves, with the Cardinals simply waiting for the high bidder, having their players on stand-by. 

The Cardinals are also entertaining offers on outfielder Dylan Carlson, and infielders Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan and Paul DeJong. 

“This is the most uncomfortable week of the year," says Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, whose team is undecided whether to buy, sell or stay the course. “It’s rough on players." 

It can also be quite nasty on GMs too, with sleepless nights, and gulping down antacids, knowing they will be judged on the outcome of the trade deadline. 

Mozeliak must make sure he selects the right package of players for his three pitchers, and although he listened to the Dodgers’ proposals for Arenado, he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday that he was passing. 

He knew the move would send Cardinals fans into an absolute frenzy considering Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt are the franchise's cornerstone players, taking over from Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols. They may end up wearing Cardinals caps into Cooperstown.

He felt almost guilty for even listening to the Dodgers’ sales pitch, but hey, all in the name of due diligence, right? 

“I just hope I'm never in this position again," Mozeliak says.

Ohtani was never going anywhere

Please, enough with the talk that the Angels are gambling by keeping Shohei Ohtani, dangerously risking the future of their franchise. 

Stop it. 

Why in the world would the the Angels have even considered trading him? The truth is, they never did.

Angels GM Perry Minasian said a month ago that he wasn’t going anywhere, and owner Arte Moreno told anyone who’d listen he was keeping him unless they were hopelessly out of the race. 

“I think I made it pretty clear the last time we talked that he wasn’t going anywhere," Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters. “I don’t know if anybody believed me. This is a special player having a unique season with a team that has a chance to win."

So enough with the criticism that the Angels should have traded him. How could you possibly get fair value by trading him for a couple of prospects? How about the fact that it would cost the Angels about $20 million or more in advertising, licensing and ticket revenue by trading him with two months left in the season?

Ohtani is a treasure and the Angels want to keep him when he’s a free agent, no matter how exorbitant the price tag. 

“I think there’s a lot of appeal to playing here," Minasian said. “And he’s somebody that I could see being here for a long, long time.” 

The best way to keep him? 

Make the playoffs and show Ohtani that you’re serious about winning. 

The Angels did just that by acquiring White Sox starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez for two of their top three prospects.

This is no gamble. The Angels couldn’t walk away from the table. 

“We feel like there’s an opportunity to win and to play well going forward,” Minasian said. We’re going to roll the dice and see what happens.” 

And if the Angels don’t reach the playoffs and fade away in September, it's still the right move. 

Or would you rather have your team surrender with two months left in the season, giving away perhaps the greatest baseball player to ever live? 

Who knows how long Ohtani will be in uniform, but Angels’ fans should enjoy him, knowing that if he walks out the door, it’s solely his decision. 

If he were traded, the Angels never would have been forgiven. 

“Whether it works or whether it doesn’t," Minasian says, “I can go to bed at night and say: ‘You know what? We did this for the right reasons and we’re giving ourselves a chance.' "

Amen. 

Around the basepaths...

– Considering the Padres are projected to lose more money this year than any franchise but the New York Mets, and have grossly underperformed, other teams still fully expect San Diego to trade starter Blake Snell and All-Star closer Josh Hader by the Tuesday trade deadline, but not All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. 

– The Seattle Mariners have informed teams that closer Paul Sewald, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and first baseman Ty France are available in trades. 

“Something’s going to happen, we just don’t know what it is," Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh says. “It’s out of our control. We want to be in this thing. We don’t want to be giving anybody away. 

“We want to be adding, not subtracting.’’ 

– The Chicago White Sox are telling teams that ace Dylan Cease and left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer are off limits, but they would be willing to trade reliever Keynan Middleton. 

They would listen for offers for shortstop Tim Anderson and will give away catcher Yasmani Grandal. 

– The Chicago Cubs had all of the intentions in the world to trade All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman and former MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger, but the team’s torrid play of late abruptly changed plans. 

Now, the two are expected to stay.

It may prove to be a mistake, with the Cubs proving to be nothing more than a tease, beating up on the Cardinals, White Sox and Washington Nationals during their 11-3 run, moving them above .500 for the first time since May 6. 

– Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Elias doused the idea that the Orioles would be aggressive at the trade deadline and try to reach the World Series for the first time since 1981, pleading patience. 

“We’re trying to win, we’re in first place, it’s awesome,” Elias told reporters. “We want to make a deep playoff run. We want to get in the World Series. 

“But unless we have information that the world is ending in November, a big part of my job is worrying about the overall health of the team over the next several years.” 

Simply, the Orioles are following the blueprint of the Astros, where Elias was the assistant GM, tearing a team to its studs, never giving up a prized prospect in a trade, but adding free agents to fill any void. 

“We can’t set the minor-league system on fire just because we are in first place," Elias said. “It’s our job to balance all that.” 

– Can you blame the Minnesota Twins for being gun-shy at this year’s trade deadline? 

A year ago, they shipped out Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to Cincinnati for starter Tyler Mahle, and reliever Yennier Cano to Baltimore for reliever Jorge Lopez. 

Ouch. 

– The Mets plan to unload outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha by Tuesday after trading away closer David Robertson to the Marlins.

– White Sox starter Lucas Giolito was sad to see teammate Reynaldo Lopez hugging teammates in clubhouse Wednesday night after their game. 

“It was definitely a little shocking," Giolito told reporters. “I saw Lopey and he was dabbing guys up. I was like, 'You got traded, Lope? Where are you going?'" 

"Anaheim." 

"Oh my God." 

Twenty minutes later ...

“I got dressed and I got called in the office and I was in the same trade," Giolito said. “So I guess they are not going to break us up." 

Of course. 

In June 2012, the Nationals acquired Giolito and Lopez as amateurs. 

In December 2016 the Nationals traded both players to the White Sox. 

And now they they’re both going to the Angels.

Twelve years, three organizations, and still together. 

– The free-falling Arizona Diamondbacks, who have lost 17 of their last 24 games, are desperately looking for a closer. They would love to get their hands on All-Star David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but few envision that he’ll be available, and should instead be bidding for Padres closer Josh Hader. 

– Certainly, teams are proving they’re not worried about bloated ERAs in this year’s trade deadline. 

Shintaro Fujinami (8.57 ERA), Lance Lynn (6.47) and Pierce Johnson (6.00) have all been traded, along with Joe Kelly (4.97 ERA), Dylan Floro (4.54) and Reynaldo Lopez (4.29). 

– It’s wonderful seeing Tony La Russa back at work, evaluating players on the White Sox farm teams this past week, after undergoing treatments for his health for the past 1 ½ years. 

– The Cincinnati Reds insist they will not trade second baseman Jonathan India for prospects, or any two-month rental. If he’s traded, it won’t be until the winter. 

The Reds could be a major player in free agency with only $16.6 million in salary commitments in 2024. 

– How stunning is Shohei Ohtani’s home-run frenzy, with him now on pace to hit 61 homers this season? 

In his first 53 games of the season, Ohtani hit 12 homers in 205 at-bats, averaging one homer every 17.1 at-bats. 

In his last 49 games, he has hit 27 homers in 179 at-bats, averaging one homer every 6.6 at-bats. 

It’s quite the contrast to Aaron Judge, who set the AL home-run record last season with 62. 

He hit 22 homers in his first 53 games, averaging one homer every 9.2 AB. 

He hit 40 homers in his final 104 games, averaging one homer every 9.2 AB. 

– MLB is enjoying a renaissance in attendance, climbing 9% more than a year ago, the highest increase since the great home-run race in 1998. 

The largest increases: 

• Philadelphia – 40%
• Cleveland – 40%
• Cincinnati – 38%
• Tampa Bay – 31%
• Pittsburgh – 30%

The only two teams with declining attendance: 

• Chicago White Sox – 16%
• Washington Nationals – 13%

– Scouts who have watched the Dodgers’ Class AA Tulsa team love the White Sox's return in the Giolito/Lopez deal of starter Nick Nastrini, reliever Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson, believing that Nastrini could be a No. 3 or No. 4 starter with Leasure being a solid middle or setup reliever. 

– The reason for the Guardians’ acquisition of struggling starter Noah Syndergaard from the Dodgers is that they simply are in desperate need for pitching. They have lost three veteran starters in Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill, and are left with Aaron Civale, three rookies and an opening Syndergaard will fill. 

– It’s stunning the Boston Red Sox are still hanging on in the wild-card race having used 15 different starting pitchers this year. The only team that has used more this season is the 30-75 Kansas City Royals. 

– Pedro Grifol is the fourth consecutive manager the Chicago White Sox have employed in which his team has underperformed. 

No one is blaming Grifol for this mess, but he acknowledges there have been mistakes along the way in his rookie season. He believed he could change the team’s culture and badly failed, with veteran players privately voicing their complaints about lack of accountability. 

“I’m disappointed, this is on me,’’ Grifol told reporters. “It’s simple. I sat there and I told everybody that we have high expectations here, and I was going to lead us to where we want to go. And it’s not happening. 

“I am disappointed, and there’s no excuse for it. I am the manager of this team, and this thing falls on me. I’m not going to run from it, I’m not going to hide from it, but I am going to work to get it better. … 

“There’s no stone unturned here, believe me, when it comes to us trying to get this thing right, trying to finish strong and move on to next season. There’s a style of baseball that we want to play. There’s a culture that we want to build. It hasn’t happened. And that’s on me. On me, nobody else.” 

– The White Sox forced teams to eat all of the remaining salary of their players in deals, saving about $25 million. They also will have catcher Yasmani Grandal’s $18.25 million contract coming off the books. 

They should be players in free agency. 

– Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, is the latest to be slammed by the sophomore jinx. He has badly struggled in the clutch all year with an ugly slash line of .164/.303/.273 with a .576 OPS in late and close situations compared to .289/.372/.518 and an .890 OPS a year ago. 

– The reason why virtually the entire Hall of Fame class rose from their seats to shake Fred McGriff’s hand at his Hall of Fame induction? 

“We thanked him for being a home-run hitter who played the game clean,’’ one Hall of Famer said. “It was refreshing."

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale