3 Cardinals whose trade value has risen, 2 who've seen it plummet to start the season

Steven Matz's trade value has risen

While I certainly was not against the Cardinals trading Steven Matz this past offseason, I preferred that they prioritize moving Fedde for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Fedde would have brought the Cardinals more value in a trade, and that is the thing that mattered most in those decisions. But second, Matz's value was basically at an all-time low, so it wouldn't hurt to see if he can build any of that back during the 2025 season to become a real trade candidate.

So far, Matz has done just that, thriving in a swingman role for the Cardinals' pitching staff that has seen him make seven relief appearances and two starts to begin the 2025 season. Across his 24 innings of work, Matz has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, striking out 20 batters and notching two wins and one save already.

Again, we aren't talking about some crazy valuable player here, but everyone wants pitching, and when the trade deadline comes around, Matz will be a name that teams are calling the Cardinals about. Ever since the addition of the third Wild Card, the list of "sellers" at deadlines has shrunk dramatically and the list of buyers has grown, so there will be a hot market to add additional pitching, whether that's bullpen arms or rotation pieces, and Matz could fit either for a club.

Matz doesn't need to sport a sub-2.00 ERA to maintain that kind of value, but man, it sure helps. The way he is pitching right now, if he sustains most of it going into July, he won't be one of the top arms, but he will be one of the more sought-after ones for sure. The Cardinals signed Matz to his four-year deal for a reason prior to the 2022 season — when he's right and healthy, he can be a middle-of-the-rotation arm. So far this year, he has really shone, and even if teams see him as a bullpen arm come July, that'll still carry value for the Cardinals.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle Matz leading up to July. If injuries happen to the rotation, he is ready to slide in and take a spot at any moment, but if they continue to have other options to turn to, will they keep him stretched out or use him in more high-leverage spots? So far, he's mostly been treated as a long man and sixth guy in the rotation at times, and that could be how they keep things moving for the rest of his time on the roster.