3 sleeper trade candidates the Cardinals could cash in on at the trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals came into July still holding a playoff spot despite the 2026 season being advertised as a rebuild season. The team's performance has created higher expectations from the fan base, causing more conversation about what the Cardinals will do at the August 3 trade deadline. With Chaim Bloom expected to stay the selling course, the pitching staff has some valuable, but unlikely, trade chips outside of the usual suspects.

Dustin May, JoJo Romero, and even Riley O'Brien are seen as the likeliest trade candidates, but Bloom may not stop there. He is unlikely to deal much from the minor league system this year unless such a trade were to bring back controllable major league talent in return. Even though the Cardinals have outperformed preseason expectations, there is no guarantee that the holdovers from the current roster could mimic their performance again next year. While I do not expect a full sell-off of all valuable assets, I would be interested to see if Bloom fields real interest in George Soriano, Kyle Leahy, and Andre Pallante.

Chaim Bloom could further revamp the Cardinals minor league system with additional pitching deals

With the Cardinals being, by definition, playoff contenders, there is a feeling that this rebuild is going to be shorter and less painful than originally anticipated. This could create a desire to hold onto some players who may be seen as building blocks for the next true competitive team, but the Cardinals may be better off at least fielding offers on these arms. Newly successful Andre Pallante could be the most valuable of the bunch and Bloom could look to take advantage of his performance and not risk holding onto him too long.

After winning a total of one game after last year's All-Star break, Pallante sits near the top of the leaderboard in wins and his six quality starts have him on pace for a new career-high. The righty's nine wins this year already are a personal best as he has seen improvement across the board. Those improvements could make him attractive to some other contending teams who may have a more complete roster than the Cardinals but could be seeking some more starting pitching depth for their own playoff run.

Pallante is under team control for the next 2.5 seasons and he is making $4 million this year after nearly doubling his salary to avoid going to an arbitration hearing. With his performance this year, that figure will likely jump another couple million, making him an affordable back-of-the-rotation arm before turning 28n years old later this summer. Pallante is on pace for the best year of his career and if the Cardinals fall down the standings, a trade around the starter could be a savvy move by Bloom.

Another arm that has been a savior to the Cardinals bullpen specifically is offseason acquisition George Soriano. He came from the Nationals when the Cardinals swapped out Andre Granillo for Soriano and this under-the-radar move has been one of Bloom's best so far. The 27-year-old has put together his best campaign since 2023, becoming a go-to guy late in games for Oliver Marmol. If the backend of the bullpen undergoes a transformation, Soriano could find himself as the de facto closer... unless he is also dealt.

Soriano is still not a household name, but he has been a stopper for the Cardinals in the later innings this season. With a fastball that can touch upper 90s, the reliever has put up a 3.38 ERA while also picking up two saves when Riley O'Brien was unavailable. His changeup has been devastating and he is under team control through 2030. Interested teams are likely wary of the fact the 27-year-old reliever is out of options already, but Bloom could probably pry a prospect or two away for multiple years of service for Soriano.

Finally, Kyle Leahy has turned a corner over the last month and his transition to the starting rotation has started to bear some fruit. With two quality starts over his last three outings, Leahy has moved his season stats to a 6-4 record and an ERA just above 4.00. The converted reliever has been able to work deeper into his starts thanks to honing in his command and keeping the ball in the ballpark. While he could probably be a boost to the struggling Cardinals bullpen, he may also be able to help a contending rotation get through the dog days of summer.

At 29, Leahy is the elder statesman of the staff but has the least amount of starting experience. After successful seasons out of the bullpen, the Cardinals wanted to take advantage of Leahy's six-pitch mix and he has rewarded their confidence in him as a fifth starter. With multiple starting prospects approaching the big leagues, Leahy could be replaced without much effort if Bloom decides to cash in on his value as a starting pitcher. Leahy would be able to support whichever pitching staff needs him, and then could slot back into the bullpen in the postseason to provide length in the middle innings.

The St. Louis Cardinals are more likely to sell than buy at the trade deadline and have plenty of obvious candidates to be moved. Rather than blow up the entire major league roster, Chaim Bloom will probably stick to trading those expiring contracts, but these three arms could provide more minor league support if he decides to dip further into the roster.

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