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

1B/DH Luken Baker

Luken Baker has been stuck in baseball purgatory for over half a decade now.

His promotion to the majors was delayed by future Hall of Famer Paul Goldschmidt during the 2020s, and Willson Contreras's move to first base this past offseason paired with Alec Burleson's development these past two years only further pushed Baker down on the depth chart.

In his seven years in the minors, Baker has a career slash line of .254/.342/.488 for an OPS of .830. He's slugged 135 home runs and 130 doubles across 629 games. The poor guy has done everything he could for a promotion, but the playing time just hasn't been there for him this year.

Baker's best year as a prospect came in 2023 when he slashed .334/.439/.720 with 33 home runs and a 1.159 OPS. His value as a bat-first first baseman was at its peak at the time, but the Cardinals opted to hold onto him at that time. He was never going to be more than a one-dimensional bench bat, but the club insisted on keeping him as depth behind Paul Goldschmidt and others in 2024.

Baker hasn't been able to replicate that success since. In 2024, he had an OPS of .880 in Memphis. That's still a solid figure but a clear decline from his heights in the year prior. This year, Baker has an OPS of just .731 in Memphis. He's also struggled to hit at the majors. He has a career batting average of .206 in the majors with an OPS of just .689.

Baker's struggles at the minor league level could be a result of fatigue; he's 28 years old and has spent seven years in the minors by now. That can't be inspiring for a baseball player. His struggles in the majors could be attributed to inconsistent playing time.

Luken Baker's time in the organization should probably be up. He's behind Willson Contreras and Alec Burleson at first base. Ivan Herrera could move there in the near future, too. The Cardinals trading Luken Baker wouldn't be to add to their prospect depth. It would instead be to give Baker a shot at regular playing time.

LHP JoJo Romero

We've all heard about Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley, and Steven Matz as relievers the Cardinals could trade, but I would like to propose another reliever: JoJo Romero.

The Cardinals acquired JoJo Romero in a deadline deal back in 2022 when they sent infielder Edmundo Sosa to the Philadelphia Phillies. Since the Cardinals acquired him, Romero has thrown 141.1 innings with a 3.27 ERA and a 3.55 FIP. He's struck out 139 batters in that span for an 8.9 K/9 ratio. While Romero hasn't been dominant with stuff, he's been able to limit the damage for the last three years.

This year, Romero has been quietly pitching well. He has a 2.37 ERA, a 3.26 FIP, and he's struck out 8.3 batters per nine innings. He's been healthy and solid throughout the year in leverage situations. Romero is generating outs primarily via the ground ball, as he has a 92nd percentile ground ball rate of 55.4%. His strikeout rate is about league average, and opponents are hitting just .226 against him.

Romero's primary deficit is his propensity to walk batters. He has a walk rate of 11.7% which places him in the ninth percentile in the league.

JoJo struggled out of the gate this year with a 6.10 ERA through April, but he's since settled in nicely. He's allowed only one run across his last 24 outings. He has yet to walk a batter in the month of July, and he's struck out ten batters in only 5.2 innings. Since May, JoJo has a 0.43 ERA.

Romero isn't a free agent until after the 2026 season, so whoever trades for him will get the southpaw for two postseason runs. The Cardinals may be competitive next year, but they probably won't be serious contenders barring some offseason spending. The Cardinals don't have much left-handed relief in their pipeline, but finding bargain-bin relievers in the offseason isn't a difficult thing to do. See Phil Maton for a prime example.

JoJo Romero may not be the sexiest reliever on the market this year, but he's made marked improvements to his game while with the Cardinals. He could net them a surprisingly strong package at the deadline should they opt to shop him.

Infielder Thomas Saggese

Back in April I wrote that Thomas Saggese may be the odd man out during the organization's youth movement. That appears to still be the case here in late July.

The Cardinals acquired Saggese in a trade with the Texas Rangers in 2023 when they sent Chris Stratton and Jordan Montgomery to the Rangers. In exchange, the Cardinals netted a solid package of prospects in John King, Tekoah Roby, and Thomas Saggese.

Saggese endeared himself to fans early by winning the Texas League MVP that year, thanks to a 1.064 OPS with 10 home runs and 29 runs batted in for the Springfield Cardinals. He's able to play anywhere on the infield capably, and he's even started getting some reps in the outfield.

The reason Saggese may be the odd man out is the quantity of middle infielders the Cardinals have. Brendan Donovan can play anywhere, but his best position is second base. Second base is also Nolan Gorman's best position. Masyn Winn has shortstop locked up for the foreseeable future, and JJ Wetherholt is coming in hot right behind Saggese. This doesn't even include Nolan Arenado — a potential trade candidate this deadline or offseason — at third base.

In limited time at the majors (136 at-bats), Saggese has a .228/.259/.331 slash line to go along with only two home runs and 12 RBIs. He's never been given regular playing time, so don't put too much stock into his line.

Don't get me wrong, Thomas Saggese will probably be a valuable major leaguer, but the Cardinals may not be able to give him the time he deserves regularly. Another team may be able to put his skillset to better (more?) use over the next six years.

Using their surplus to fill areas of need should be a focus of this year's deadline. Trading Thomas Saggese now for a legitimate starting pitcher should be something the Cardinals explore. They likely won't due to his age and his status as a prospect, but trading from an area of surplus for an area of need may not be the worst idea for the Cardinals.

OF Lars Nootbaar

Trading Lars Nootbaar has been gaining some steam during the Cardinals' recent cold stretch. The club's left fielder is currently on the Injured List due to a left costochondral sprain. He was placed on the IL on July 13th, and he's still experiencing significant pain. According to John Denton, Nootbaar still can't swing a bat without feeling pain in his left side. He doesn't appear to be near a return to the lineup.

Injuries have been the story of the young outfielder's career so far, as he's yet to surpass 117 games or 503 plate appearances in a season.

However, Nootbaar could be an interesting trade candidate this deadline.

Last year, the Cardinals traded utility man Tommy Edman to get a starting pitcher in Erick Fedde. While that trade has soured quickly, the concept of that trade wasn't terrible. John Mozeliak traded a player who hadn't logged a single inning for the team for a much-needed starting pitcher. He could emulate that trade once again this year with Lars Nootbaar.

Noot has a .227/.332/.381 slash line this year for a .712 OPS and an OPS+ of exactly 100. He's bopped 12 home runs, two shy of his career high. Most importantly, Nootbaar has logged 386 plate appearances. if he continues at this pace, he'll exceed 500 plate appearances for just the second time in his career. His current injury could throw off his pace, but seeing 500 plate appearances is important for Nootbaar.

Lars Nootbaar could bring back a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher if the right deal is made. With Brendan Donovan, Victor Scott II, and Alec Burleson still on the roster, the club has sufficient outfield depth. Ivan Herrera, Thomas Saggese, and JJ Wetherholt have also been logging time in the grass.

The Cardinals probably know what they have in Lars Nootbaar by now. He's a talented yet oft-injured outfielder who hasn't quite been able to reach the heights that have been wanted out of him. Capitalizing on a seller's market at the deadline and moving him could behoove the club. A team trading for Nootbaar would have to be comfortable knowing that they won't get 125 games out of him. His upside could be tantalizing to a team that is able to swallow that sort of injury worry.

UTIL Brendan Donovan

I saved the moved controversial trade candidate for last.

Let me start by saying that I don't think Brendan Donovan will be traded, nor do I think he necessarily should be traded. However, there is sufficient reason to at least explore his market.

Brendan Donovan is under contract for only two more years after 2025. Will the Cardinals actually be competitive in that time span? It's possible! They'll certainly entertain division titles and Wild Card berths. But will they cement themselves as pennant chasers? I'm skeptical.

Without an extension to keep him on the team as a leader for the next five or six years, Brendan Donovan should probably be a tradeable player. If the Cardinals do extend him, they should keep him on the roster as a valuable veteran and leader for the next core of players like Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, and Ivan Herrera.

Brendan Donovan's value has never been higher. He attended his first All-Star Game this year, and he's continually been a key cog in the Cardinals' season. He's slashing .291/.363/.421 this year for a .784 OPS and a 120 OPS+. He's hit eight home runs and driven in 37 runners while scoring 51 times himself. He's a plus defender at second base and left field, and he can also handle shortstop and third base.

Donnie has drawn walks at an above-average rate this year while keeping his strikeout rate in the 87th percentile in the league. He's squaring up pitches and hitting them well without sacrificing for whiffs. He's a grinder at the plate who can also boast some pop.

Losing Brendan Donovan would certainly deflate this team. He's been the clubhouse leader for three years now. Donovan has also been open about wanting an extension to stay in St. Louis. He's a true Cardinal through and through. Several fans wouldn't want to see Donnie traded, and the clubhouse would change for the worse in a drastic way if he's moved.

It probably won't happen, but Donovan's value has never been higher than it is now, thanks to his output this year and his team control beyond 2025. John Mozeliak's phone will be ringing nonstop if Donovan becomes available, and he could net the team a true top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher if he's dealt.