5 biggest questions for the St. Louis Cardinals in the second half

The end of the 2025 All-Star Break marks an important time for the St. Louis Cardinals. It's a demarcation line of sorts.

The Cardinals enter the second half 6.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central and 1.5 games out of the final spot in the National League Wild Card race.

As a team, the Cardinals rank eleventh in batting average, thirteenth in wRC+, fourteenth in OPS, and tenth in total home runs. Their offense has been about average in most statistical categories. From a pitching perspective, the club ranks twentieth in ERA, ninth in FIP, twenty-ninth in K/9, and nineteenth in ERA-. The pitching staff has relied heavily on a strong defense.

The Cardinals not only enter a pivotal point in the season, but they also enter an important time as an organization.

With John Mozeliak out at the end of this year, Chaim Bloom is set to take over as the team's president of baseball operations. John Mozeliak is seeking to have a strong end to his final year at the helm while also setting up his successor well. That's a tough balance to strike for Mozeliak. It will certainly impact his decision making over the next two-and-a-half months.

The Cardinals have several major questions to answer as they enter the second half of the 2025 season.

Will the Cardinals be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

Unfortunately, this question doesn't have an answer right now.

The Cardinals are on the outside looking in at the postseason as things currently stand, but one strong week from them paired with the Cubs, Brewers, Padres, or Mets could vault the Cardinals into the playoffs. That's how volatile things currently are with the postseason.

The amount of bubble teams across Major League Baseball has the trade deadline very much murky at the moment. While there are certain teams who will certainly be sellers this year, there are more teams who are looking to be buyers this year.

Therefore, the Cardinals aren't quite sure if they'll be buyers or sellers this year. In her recent piece discussing the Cardinals' path during the deadline, Katie Woo of The Athletic discusses this uncertainty. "Over three weeks remain until (John) Mozeliak must make a final call. How the Cardinals play through July will dictate just how close he cuts it."

Mozeliak detailed this lack of solidity in plans as well. “As we get closer to the 31st, that’s really where we’ll be trying to decide,” Mozeliak said. “I do feel like where we are in the week leading up, or the 72 hours leading up to the trading deadline, may affect how we make our decisions.”

If the Cardinals can win and place themselves more firmly in the playoff discussion, expect them to add on the margins to round out the team. If they fall further out of the postseason picture, expect them to trade away players like Erick Fedde, Phil Maton, and others.

Look for the Cardinals to make more concrete plans regarding the trade deadline as the month comes to a close.