3 reasons why the Cardinals should be sellers at the trade deadline

As the July 31st trade deadline nears, the St. Louis Cardinals’ front office has a tough decision ahead of themselves on which approach to take. Should their hot start cause them to be buyers? Or is this run of good play just delaying the inevitable? Having overachieved the expectations of nearly everyone, this young team could find themselves in the playoffs if they continue to perform. With that being said, this article will break down three reasons the team should trade away expiring contracts or star players at the deadline, as I believe this approach will be more fruitful for the team long term.

 1. The Cardinals are simply not good enough

While the team has performed very well through the beginning of June, the Cardinals simply do not have what it takes to compete with the best teams in baseball in a seven-game series. Although they did recently win a series versus the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s worth noting that the Dodgers' pitching staff has been tremendously depleted due to injury. The team is missing Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Evan Phillips, and Blake Treinen in this series, as well as others. Currently in the National League, the Cardinals would have tremendous difficulty in a playoff series versus the Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers. It remains to be seen how the team will fare against the Chicago Cubs, as the two teams have yet to square off this season. Offensively, the Cardinals rank 23rd in home runs and 24th in stolen bases while also ranking 29th out of 30 in strikeouts thrown as a pitching staff. These glaring weaknesses make it hard to believe that the team would hold up in the postseason.

2. The possible return

With the number of expiring contracts on the Cardinals' payroll, the prospect return could be significant. Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, Phil Maton, Steven Matz, and Ryan Helsley all come to mind. Although the value of some of these players may have dipped since the season started, there are not a tremendous number of arms available in the trade market this season. For this reason, the Cardinals could gain plenty of prospects in return for their MLB talent. Furthermore, this would maximize on value from these players, as there is no guarantee that many or all of them return to the Redbirds next year. Although they remain in contention for the NL Central division crown, it would be foolish not to stockpile prospects this season. These moves would give Chaim Bloom the prospects to develop for the future, but would also give him more trade pieces as the Cardinals hope to contend for a title very soon.

3. The Chicago Cubs' success

Although the Cardinals have broken out to begin 2025, they still find themselves four games back of the Chicago Cubs. This is a serious problem. Many would have guessed that a best-case scenario like this would at least have them at the top of the division, yet they sit in second place and only remain 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for third. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are certain to receive MVP votes, and while the Cubs success is also unexpected, theirs is more likely to continue than St. Louis. As of right now, the Cubs are fourteen games over .500. Not to mention, they’ve achieved this record while missing three of their best starting pitchers for much of the early season. Justin Steele will miss the rest of the season due to an elbow injury, but Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad will return in 2025. Furthermore, it is worth noting the desperation of the Cubs. Their recently acquired star, Kyle Tucker, will be a free agent after this season, and there is no telling where he will sign. The possibility of only having one run with Tucker will most certainly make the Cubs aggressive buyers at the trade deadline, likely more aggressive than the Cardinals can afford to be. For all of these reasons, it seems unlikely that the Cardinals will be able to win the NL Central title. 

If the choice is between standing pat/trading for small pieces in order to make a Wild Card run versus nabbing future prospects, I would hope that the Cardinals move on from their expiring contracts and gain valuable pieces for the future. While it may not make fans happy to miss the postseason again, the Cardinals should be focused on their next World Series title, rather than their next playoff appearance. Not to mention, the Cardinals would have another offseason to develop current prospects and to possibly add free agents. For these reasons, trading away the players previously mentioned will give Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals an even quicker path to the Commissioner’s Trophy.