5 under-the-radar trade acquisitions for the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the thick of the National League playoff hunt. Entering games on June 30th, the Cardinals were just 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, and they held sole possession of the final Wild Card spot.

There are still four weeks to go before Major League Baseball's trade deadline, but the Cardinals look to be buyers this year. Don't expect ground-breaking moves here; John Mozeliak won't sell the farm (literally) for a player on a team that isn't at the elite level like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, or Detroit Tigers. But the fact that the Cardinals remain in the playoff conversation three full months into the year proves that they're a good club.

Mozeliak will have to get creative at this year's deadline. Players on expiring contracts like Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, and Ryan Helsley could all fetch a decent return should he choose to sell. If he opts to buy, top prospects such as JJ Wetherholt, Quinn Mathews, Tekoah Roby, Jimmy Crooks, and Tink Hence are probably off the table due to the organization's reset this year.

It's most likely that the Cardinals are both buyers and sellers this year, similar to what they were in 2024 when they acquired Erick Fedde for Tommy Edman. There's a chance Mozeliak "trims the fat" by removing some of the players on expiring contracts for some prospects, only to then flip his own prospects in the system to acquire players.

Players who could be on the market for the Cardinals include pitchers Erick Fedde, Steven Matz, Ryan Helsley, and potentially Phil Maton. Trading away one or more of these players opens up time for a young pitcher like Michael McGreevy or Andre Granillo to close out the year in the majors.

It would come as a surprise to hear that the Cardinals are linked to some of the high-end trade candidates like Sandy Alcantara, Alex Bregman, or Jarren Duran (much to my chagrin). Instead, Mozeliak will look to make moves on the margins to help complement the players already on the roster without taking away too much of their playing time.

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals and John Mozeliak aren't going to be shopping in the deep end of the market. "Blockbuster deals aren’t on the horizon for St. Louis, especially not this year," writes Woo.

The moves that Mozeliak makes this deadline also won't impact the future of the organization, for future president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has a lot of interest in the franchise for the next several years. Controllable youngsters or prospects likely won't be involved in trade talks should the Cardinals look to make trades.

Therefore, we can assume that smaller moves on the margins will be made. The Cardinals won't be concrete buyers or sellers in the traditional sense if they remain in the playoff picture. Instead, they'll mix the two strategies to keep this club largely intact while providing more runway for several young players.

These 5 under-the-radar trade candidates would help the St. Louis Cardinals down the stretch of the regular season and in the postseason.