Cardinals’ top 10 moments of 2026, No. 9: Alec Burleson responds to trade rumors with career night

Believe it or not, Alec Burleson was very much in the thick of trade rumors at this year's trade deadline. And now? It's hard to imagine a world where he's not with the St. Louis Cardinals for a very long time.

Coming in at number nine on our countdown of the top 10 moments of the 2026 season for the St. Louis Cardinals over on Redbird Rants and the Dealin' the Cards podcast is Alec Burleson's three-home-run game in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. That performance alone would be worthy of a top 10 moment of the season, but given the context of that week and how the rest of the season would play out, it's especially fitting that Burleson showed out the way that he did.

Alec Burleson's three-home-run game showed the Cardinals why he should stay long-term

In the days surrounding this year's trade deadline, Burleson's name became a hot commodity, as teams around baseball were looking for bats. Both national insiders and local reporters confirmed that the Cardinals were listening on Burleson, and the talk was real enough that manager Oliver Marmol had to call Burleson into his office in New York to let him know he would not be traded as the deadline came close to passing. These rumors were not just fun fan speculation; they were a real possibility if a team ponied up for Burleson.

The San Diego Padres, in particular, were heavy in the market for a left-handed bat and seemed determined to acquire one of Burleson or Lars Nootbaar, who ended up being dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the buzzer.

We don't know how close any talks got, but at the end of the day, Burleson remained a Cardinal, and his response to those rumors was truly remarkable.

Burleson stepped up to the plate that evening and blasted not one, not two, but three home runs on his way to a 3-for-5 game with six RBI as the Cardinals took down the Yankees 13-7 in New York. It was about as perfect a game as Burleson could have had after his name was floated around, and Burleson himself acknowledged after the game how real those rumors were.

“I love St. Louis. I love the guys," Burleson said following his three-home-run performance. "My family loves St. Louis. I want to be around for what this will look like for the next couple of years,” Burleson said. “Whatever was going to happen, at that point, was out of my control. There is nothing I can do. I tried my best not to worry about it. Obviously, it’s in your head all day. You are thinking about it a lot. Try to get back the day and get ready for the game.”

Burleson had a career year with the Cardinals, slashing .279/.343/.473 with 26 home runs and an MLB-leading 116 RBI. He also played a really good defensive first base in his first full season manning the position, becoming the most consistent and reliable player on the Cardinals roster.

Burleson's season was so good that he was the only Cardinal who received an "S-Tier" grade by our Dealin' the Cards podcast in our end-of-season player grades.

Burleson has said he is very open to an extension with the Cardinals, and would actually love to get that done before the impending lockout. While I wouldn't completely rule out a world where the Cardinals trade Burleson at peak value, I do think it's likely that they hammer out an extension with him at some point. He looks the part of a core piece of the Cardinals next contender, and he certainly wants to be a part of that mix moving forward.

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