5 surprising players the Cardinals should shop at the MLB trade deadline

After being annihilated by the Arizona Diamondbacks following the All-Star Break, the St. Louis Cardinals are certainly looking like sellers at this year's trade deadline. Despite a little over a week to go until this deadline, the Cardinals don't appear to be a playoff contender, and they certainly aren't World Series contenders.

If the club were one or two moves away from being a legitimate postseason threat, then they should seek to be buyers at the deadline. However, the Cardinals are in need of a top-end starting pitcher, at least one solid back-end reliever, and a strong right-handed bench bat for the outfield. These are all moves that would require serious cuts to the farm system, something the organization has been against doing all year.

Therefore, being sellers at the deadline is the most logical route for the 51-49 St. Louis Cardinals, who are now in fourth place in the National League Central and eight-and-a-half games back of the Chicago Cubs.

We all know that players on expiring contracts like Phil Maton, Steven Matz, Ryan Helsley, and Erick Fedde will be shopped. While their values are all drastically different, each player will be shopped so long as the return fits the needs of the Cardinals.

Of those four, Ryan Helsley is probably the most complicated player to trade. He's worthy of a qualifying offer this winter, a one-year deal that will probably be valued around $22 million. If he declines that option and signs elsewhere, the Cardinals would receive a compensatory draft pick. Since they're not able to draft in the top-10 next year after two consecutive years of premium draft picks, an extra pick in the first 100 would go a long way for the club.

If John Mozeliak sees less value in a trade than he does in a compensatory pick, expect Helsley to remain on the roster through September.

Erick Fedde's value is all but gone after a disappointing season, but John Mozeliak will try to trade him for whatever he can to open up playing time for Michael McGreevy in the majors.

Steven Matz and Phil Maton are leverage relievers who often sell for more than their true value at the deadline due to a glut of buyers and dearth of sellers. Trading these two pitchers, similar to the trades of Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton in 2023, should net some interesting prospects for the future.

Beyond these four clear tradeable players, the Cardinals also have others who create a shift in the market should they look to trade them. While they aren't stars by any means, they are certainly players who could help any contending team both now and in the future. They all have ample team control, and some have legitimate value. These players would bring back a serious package of prospects or an MLB-caliber player to fill a need for the Cardinals.

It's not likely they're traded, but these players should certainly be shopped around to get a feel for the market.

Here are 5 St. Louis Cardinals who should be shopped this deadline