WASHINGTON -- In as pure a sign of the times as you'll find this Trade Deadline season, a fleet of Cardinals executives arrived at Nationals Park with the team on Friday, ratcheting up speculation that’s already hit a fever pitch. With the braintrust on-scene, St. Louis went out and kept pace in the National League Central, securing a snappy 6-2 win over Juan Soto and the Nationals rife with intrigue about their standing in the ongoing Soto sweepstakes.

The next few days present an array of potential paths for the Cardinals, any of which figure to alter the franchise in the short and long term. Friday’s victory touched on several of those possibilities.

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Here is a glimpse of their options heading into this consequential weekend, which they’ll spend face to face with Soto on the field:

1. Go all in for Soto
The Cardinals’ front office contingent on-site this weekend is notably large, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, general manager Michael Girsch, assistant GM Moisés Rodriguez and scouting director Randy Flores all making the trip to the nation’s capital four days ahead of the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. Is that indicative of anything? Not that anything is necessarily imminent. But with key decisions clearly on the horizon, the organization was intentional about ensuring many of its key decision-makers were together in one place.

Coincidence that that place is Soto’s home park? Probably not. The Cardinals were already one of many teams rumored in on Soto -- maybe being on the ground brings an advantage in discussions. Or maybe the series simply turns into a showcase for someone like Nolan Gorman, whose second homer in as many games paced St. Louis’ support of Miles Mikolas.

If the Cardinals are going to avoid including top prospect Jordan Walker, any potential Soto deal would probably have to be centered around Gorman, the power-hitting rookie infielder. His 11th homer in 56 games came with St. Louis seemingly preparing for a potential infield shakeup, further fueling speculation.

“Our guys have handled it well,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “If anyone looks distracted, that'd be one thing. But they go out there and play their game.”

2. Ignore Soto allure, improve the rotation
As salivating as the idea of a Soto-sized splash might be, the Cardinals’ more acute need this trade season involves exactly nothing about the slugger’s services. It’s on the mound.

With injuries plaguing its rotation, St. Louis has struggled to find consistency behind Adam Wainwright and Mikolas, who had little problem handling Washington’s lineup Friday night. Shaving his ERA to 2.86, Mikolas was typically effective in delivering seven innings of two-run ball.

He and Wainwright sport a combined 3.06 ERA in 255 2/3 innings this season. The rest of the Cardinals’ starters? A 4.99 ERA in 261 2/3 innings.

“He’s done a nice job of giving us length,” Marmol said. “You know that he’s going to go out there and give you a nice outing every time.”

St. Louis is no stranger to acquiring back-end pitching help, as its acquisitions of Jon Lester and J.A. Happ at last year’s Deadline can attest. Oakland righty Frankie Montas headlines this year’s thin starting pitcher market now, with Luis Castillo off the board, but St. Louis might also be a fit for lower-cost targets like Angels righty Noah Syndergaard or Rockies closer Daniel Bard.

“This time of year, I just want to win ballgames,” Mikolas said. “If I give up 10 runs and we win 11-10, I’ll take it.”

3. Stand pat
Of course, options exist in between the first two and “doing nothing.” But in the interest of space, let’s consider the extreme other end of the possibility spectrum St. Louis is working on this trade season.

Standing pat might not be the sexy move.

But there may be logic in doing so, if any Soto deal would hamstring the farm system for years to come, and if the Cardinals are confident they can simply get healthy. Their list of regulars working their way back from injury is lengthy.

Yadier Molina is on track to return Tuesday, on the Deadline, coincidentally. Juan Yepez and Harrison Bader could be back by late next month, and Jack Flaherty resumed a throwing program this week with an eye toward salvaging some of what’s been a lost season. A decision on Steven Matz looms, as well.

In short, the Cardinals are far from full-strength. Getting closer to that would bolster their roster even if Aug. 2 passes without a blockbuster deal.

“These guys are worried about winning,” Marmol said. “If someone gets added, great. If they don't, great. But they're focused on doing their jobs and contributing to a win tonight. They're really good at that.”