Cardinals Off To Strong Start But Early Trade Target Could Help Resolve Bullpen Issues

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a start they haven’t had since Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols were on the team. Bernie Miklaz noted on X that the last three times the team has won five of its first seven series, the Cardinals have won 90 or more games. Those seasons were 2022, 2019, and 2015. 

Not to say that the Cardinals are destined for the postseason, but this start is promising, and with the National League Central going 13-2 over the weekend, the divisional race is off and running. Nobody has skipped a beat yet in the Central, just 1.5 games separate the division-leading Cincinnati Reds from the current cellar-dwelling Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals are ahead of schedule, with timely hitting from Masyn Winn, who came in clutch again with a bases-clearing double in the series finale against the Houston Astros, and Jordan Walker, who has broken out and is squarely in the early conversation for National League MVP. While the offense has looked good, the pitching, outside of a couple of pieces, has been particularly brutal. Only four teams have a worse combined ERA from their entire pitching staff than the Cardinals. The Cardinals' offense has been doing the heavy lifting for the club, but the pitching has cost the Cardinals games early in the season, where they scored six or more runs.

Still, it is only April; there is time for the Cardinals' pitching to turn a corner and become more reliable as the season goes on, and there is certainly an opportunity for offensive production to retreat, as only one position player, Ramon Urias, is past the age of 30. The Cardinals are the youngest team in baseball, and that was the plan: to allow them to struggle and learn from the adversity that they are bound to face over the course of a 162-game season.

So here lies the question: how do the Cardinals approach the deadline? What will it take to go and make a move that, without a doubt, makes your weaknesses stronger? Again, it is really early in the season, and there is no certainty that the moves they would make today will still be the same by August 3rd.

The main course of action for the Cardinals must begin with their pitching staff, a bottom-5 staff in baseball, just won’t cut it if they can sneak into October. Relievers have to be the main target, at least for now. There are a couple of relievers who could be available around the trade deadline, but one that could help stabilize the middle of the Cardinals' bullpen could come at a lower price.

My eyes drift toward Seranthony Dominguez of the Chicago White Sox. He has been a steady reliever during his career, not a closer, but someone who can strengthen the bullpen. Although he has not had the best start to his 2026 campaign, he’s had just two seasons with an ERA above 4.00, and one of those was his second season in the majors, where he posted a 4.01. If Dominguez stabilizes, he could become one of the more attractive pieces at the deadline in bullpen help, being that he has been moved in both of the last two seasons to contending clubs.

The market can evolve by the end of July, but if the Cardinals are within striking distance of the division lead and are holding a wild card spot, they might opt to make a move for something bigger than just bullpen strength.