The St. Louis Cardinals are in the thick of the National League Central race, and after besting their longtime rival, the Chicago Cubs, in the first two games of the series, the gap is closing.
The Cardinals have produced middle-of-the-pack starting pitching during the season. With a couple of expiring contracts in the rotation, the team could look to revamp the rotation and acquire a front-end arm to bolster their starting staff for the stretch run.
Former Cardinals prospect Zac Gallen could be on the Cardinals' radar after receiving Cy Young votes in three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is now entering a contract year and—like many preseason trade candidates—has underperformed thus far in 2025. Gallen sports a 5.60 ERA, the highest of his career, along with career worsts in nearly every category.
Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranked Gallen as the No. 7 trade candidate entering the deadline, along with a 30% chance of being moved before the deadline.
The Diamondbacks might not be in a position to trade off their expiring contracts just yet, but after the San Francisco Giants moved for Rafael Devers, the gap in the division and the wild card could grow, potentially leaving Arizona in rough shape at the end of July.
The Cardinals would likely have to deal a pair of prospects to get this done and to make room on the big-league staff. Such a move could conceivably cost St. Louis an MLB-ready arm.
It is unclear if the Cardinals are willing to move expiring veterans in Erick Fedde or Miles Mikolas, the latter of whom carries a no-trade clause. But if Gallen were to return to his previous form, a deal for the 29-year-old righty would certainly improve the Cardinals' rotation heading into the stretch.
The Cardinals have a logjam in the outfield and behind the plate in their farm system, so dealing off a pair of middle-rated prospects could free up space and clear the runway for other prospects on their path to the majors—while accomplishing a notable boost for this year's rotation.