Discussion about potential transactions involving the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the July 31 trade deadline have certainly changed since the season began.
Entering 2025, all of the offseason talk about this being a “transition year” for the Cardinals spurred an endless parade of prognosticators throwing proverbial darts to guess where potential trade targets such as Nolan Arenado or Ryan Helsley could be dealt.
There have been trade proposals dreamt up for pitching-needy teams to acquire Sonny Gray or Erick Fedde. Suggestions of Steven Matz’s mini-renaissance on the mound possibly stirring interest. Even Brendan Donovan’s name has been mentioned amid his breakout season.
But as the Cardinals passed the quarter point in the season and remained in the playoff hunt, an unexpected question about the team started to emerge: Buyers or sellers?
Cardinals Surprising Playoff Push Alters Outside Opinions
Now at the 50-game marker, St. Louis is 27-23, just three games behind Chicago for first place in the NL Central. If the season had ended after Thursday’s games, the Cardinals would finish one game behind San Diego for the third and final wildcard spot – although the Padres do have two games in hand – and three games behind the New York Mets for the No. 1 wildcard position.
Meanwhile, there are four teams that sit within 2.5 games behind St. Louis, including divisional foes Milwaukee and Cincinnati. It’s a muddled picture that does little to help answer what will be a complicated question for the Cardinals front office.
Should the team trade away some of its best players, particularly those who are pending free agents such as Helsley or Fedde, to acquire assets that will hopefully pay off down the line? Or should the Cardinals keep what they have, perhaps even making a low-cost addition or two, and continue playing for a postseason berth?
Future vs. present?
The chatter from national pundits in recent days has become equally divided over the team’s direction. For every trade proposal put forth that would send off a key component to the current success, there are others leaning into the possibility that the Cardinals will attempt to augment their roster, albeit incrementally.
Appearing Thursday on the “Foul Territory” blog, MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic cited this being John Mozeliak’s last year as president of baseball operations to forecast St. Louis as buyers at the deadline.
“Are they going to expend assets to make a big run? Go ‘all-in,’ so to speak?” Rosenthal said. “No, I can’t see them doing that. I would expect that they make relatively minor moves."
Rosenthal notes that falling out of the playoff race would obviously change the team’s approach, but at this point, that would surprise him.
"I don’t really see that happening with them,” he said. “To me, they’re going to be buyers, but limited buyers, not giving up anything that’s going to cost them too deeply for the future.”
St. Louis Could Attempt to Make Minor Improvements
Bleacher Report has also changed its tune regarding the Cardinals’ likely plan heading toward the trade deadline. After previously identifying St. Louis as a seller, the publication, in its May 15 analysis, suggested that the team could now be in the market for a starting pitcher.
“Veteran ace Sonny Gray and breakout lefty Matthew Liberatore have been a solid one-two punch for the Cardinals, and the rotation as a whole has been better than expected,” Joe Reuter wrote, “but a quality third starter to join that duo could be their top priority if they continue to exceed expectations.”
As for the Cardinals’ top trade chip, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report in a separate article opined that the player “most likely to be traded” by St. Louis is Double-A catcher Leonardo Bernal, one of three catchers ranked among the team’s top seven prospects.
“Maybe they give up Jimmy Crooks instead, who posted a .908 OPS at Double-A Springfield last season. Or 18-year-old Rainiel Rodriguez, whose 1.223 OPS in 53 games of Rookie ball is downright ludicrous,” Miller suggested. “But Leonardo Bernal—the switch hitter of the bunch, with the least pop in his bat—is likely the one they'd be most willing to move.”