In an effort to revive a struggling career, a former top prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals appears to have joined a longtime rival. Dylan Carlson, who played in the Cardinals’ outfield from 2020 through the first half of 2024, was seen at Chicago Cubs camp on January 22 and has since agreed to a contract with the North Siders, according to Greg Zumach, co-host of Cubs on Deck.
Carlson was reported to be signing a minor league contract with a Cubs and received an invite to spring training.
It has been a dramatic fall for the former top prospect once described by then–president of baseball operations John Mozeliak as someone a team could “pry from his cold, dead hands.” Early in his St. Louis tenure, Carlson appeared poised for stardom. In his first full season in 2021, he batted .266 with a .780 OPS and a 115 OPS+ while finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, seemingly cementing himself as a long-term, above-average fixture in the Cardinals’ outfield.
That promise never came to fruition. Carlson’s production declined steadily each year, posting an OPS of .695 in 2022, .651 in 2023, and just .515 before the 2024 trade deadline, when he had already been relegated to a limited role with the club.
St. Louis dealt Carlson to the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2024 trade deadline for minimal return, acquiring reliever Shawn Armstrong. In his first 14 games with Tampa Bay, Carlson appeared to rediscover his form, batting .293 with three home runs and prompting many Cardinals fans to label the move another misstep by Mozeliak. However, that surge quickly faded. Over his final 23 games, Carlson hit just .178 without a single home run. He later signed with the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the 2025 season, where he struggled again, posting a .203 average and a .614 OPS.
Chicago has spent the offseason building depth in the outfield, signing Chas McCormick and claiming Justin Dean off waivers. If Carlson’s deal is finalized, he will compete with both players as well as Kevin Alcantara, the Cubs’ seventh-ranked prospect according to Baseball America. A switch-hitter who fares better against right-handed pitching — owning a .274 average and .757 OPS versus right-handers compared to .217 and .655 against lefties — Carlson faces a tough path to the roster against right-handed bats McCormick and Dean.
Carlson would represent a low-risk addition for the Cubs as they attempt to revive some of the long-lost potential of the once highly regarded outfielder. At just 27 years old, Carlson still has an opportunity to reshape his career — and perhaps once again frustrate Cardinals fans in the process.
