Cardinals Rumors: Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray shopped, Brendan Donovan calls, more

As the trade deadline approaches at the end of July, the St. Louis Cardinals have many players worthy of trade consideration. From expiring contracts to young runway players, the Cardinals could make a multitude of moves for prospects or for controllable big league talent. After a recent stretch of poor play, even more players than before are now seen as trade targets for teams looking to bolster their roster for the postseason. In John Mozeliak’s final season as President of Baseball Operations, the moves made at this deadline will shape the team’s direction in the future. St. Louis would be wise to offload as many expiring contracts as they could, gaining prospects in return to make a trade for a star or to compete later down the line.

The Cardinals are actively shopping Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz on the trade market

According to Katie Woo and The Athletic, John Mozeliak is informing other teams regarding the availability of star closer Ryan Helsley, setup man Phil Maton, and long reliever Steven Matz. Although JoJo Romero is under contract until 2027, he is also drawing interest from teams in need of more bullpen arms. Out of these four relievers, the Cardinals would certainly receive the most for Ryan Helsley but could also package Matz and Maton together, especially for teams who desire to stretch Matz out as a starter. Despite being on a one-year contract, Maton will fetch a pretty penny too, as he’s putting together the best season of his career thus far. As previously mentioned, the Cardinals may need a little more to offload Romero, who is the only reliever of this foursome to have a contractual obligation beyond this season.

The Cardinals are also open to offers on Brendan Donovan and other young pieces

In addition to these bullpen names, the Cardinals will still be listening to offers on some of their best young contributors. This list would include All-Star Brendan Donovan, slugger Ivan Herrera, and corner outfielders Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar. While it is unlikely that all of these players are moved, Mozeliak hasn’t deemed any of these players as “untouchable.” Concerning Brendan Donovan, the Dodgers, Astros, and Yankees were rumored to be suitors; however, New York’s interest may have diminished after acquiring former Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon.

The Cardinals are gauging trade interest in Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray

Lastly come the team’s veterans, specifically Nolan Arenado and now Sonny Gray. While these players do have no-trade clauses in their contracts, John Mozeliak has stated his plans to reach out to such players and gauge their interest in being moved. While Nolan Arenado is viewed as a declining commodity (for his contract) despite providing amazing defense, the Cardinals may not be able to find the best of offers for him, as opposed to trading him sooner. With that being said, Sonny Gray would instantly become one of the Cardinals' top trade pieces, and his current contract, which runs through 2027, would give contending teams all the more reason to acquire him.

Since Gray has been the best free agent starting pitcher that the Cardinals have signed in recent history, it wouldn’t be ideal to trade him, but the Cardinals would be clever to extract all the value that they can out of their roster at this season's deadline. Sonny Gray is thirty-five, and it is plausible to say that the Cardinals may not be ready to compete before his contract runs out. Trading him away now could give the Cardinals a chance to decrease payroll, open up more money to spend in the future, and most importantly, stockpile great young prospects in order to build their farm system.

Whatever happens, St. Louis will be on their way to the Chaim Bloom era. While Bloom’s pedigree makes Cardinals fans excited for the future, it is important to remember that the Cardinals' future success relies on how well the team handles this year’s deadline. In a perfect world, the team will offload expiring contracts, trade away other pieces for the right price, and trade away win-now veterans for a surplus of prospects. Assuming the front office is able to do this, Chaim Bloom will have plenty more cards added to his deck and lots of assets at his disposal to turn this team into a contender.