A (not-so-brief) history of in-division trades for the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals trades with the Cincinnati Reds

If you thought the recent trade history between the Cardinals and Cubs was light, wait until you see how little the Cardinals and Reds have interacted with each other since 1996.

Since 1996, the Cardinals and Reds have made only one official trade with each other, and that trade came in 1997.

On November 10, 1997, the Cardinals sent corner infielder Dmitri Young to the Cincinnati Reds for right-handed pitcher Jeff Brantley. Young would play for the Reds for four seasons, posting a .304 batting average and a .842 OPS. He was a strong offensive player for Cincinnati from the 1998 season through the 2001 season before departing for the Detroit Tigers. Meanwhile, Jeff Brantley would log only 50.2 innings with the Cardinals, posting a 4.44 ERA in 1998.

The Reds and Cardinals have certainly swapped players, but those swaps have happened only via purchases and waiver claims. Since 1996, the Cardinals have purchased Timo Perez (2006) from the Reds, while Cincinnati has purchased Gerald Williams (2002) and Austin Romine (2022) from the Cardinals.

In addition to purchasing these players from the Reds, the Cardinals have claimed players like Ryan Vilade from the Reds over the last 20 years. On the other hand, the Reds have claimed players like Matt Bowman and Roddery Munoz from the Cardinals.

The most obvious trade candidate between the Reds and Cardinals this winter is starting pitcher Sonny Gray. Gray is owed $35 million in 2026, a reasonable figure given the going price for top-end starting pitchers. Gray pitched for the Reds from 2019 through 2021, and he's been quite open about wanting to stay near his family home in Tennessee. He's familiar with Cincy, and he could consider waiving his no-trade clause to go back there. The Reds made the playoffs in 2025, and they could look to build upon a young roster and rotation.

Beyond Gray, the Reds could call on Lars Nootbaar or Brendan Donovan to play in the outfield for them next year. If they want bullpen help, JoJo Romero could be an interesting target.

If the Cardinals and Reds strike an uncharacteristic deal this winter, expect it to involve starting pitcher Sonny Gray.