The Cardinals need to pull the plug and get ready to sell at the trade deadline

While the standings still say the St. Louis Cardinals are in this race, anyone watching the team right now likely knows what needs to be done.

It's time for the Cardinals to prepare to sell at this year's trade deadline.

If you told me before the season that the Cardinals would be 51-48 on July 20th and sitting three games back of the third Wild Card, I would have chalked that up as a really impressive start to their season, considering the expectations I had for them after their frozen offseason that saw them shed payroll and do virtually nothing to upgrade the roster. But over the last month of baseball, the positive light we started to view has really dimmed.

The Cardinals are 15-15 over their last 30 games, and they are 18-23 since the beginning of June. The offense that helped propel them to many wins early in the season now ranks in the bottom eight in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, and runs scored over their last 30 games, and their pitching staff as a whole ranks 24th in ERA over that stretch. So, even with the standings being what they are, John Mozeliak can't honestly look at this team right now and feel confident in holding onto valuable trade chips, let alone adding pieces as well.

Saturday night's 10-1 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks should put the nail in the coffin to any ideas of the Cardinals not being sellers at this year's deadline, and you know what? That's probably the best outcome for them.

The Cardinals have to be sellers at this years trade deadline, but that doesn't make this season a failure

There is still plenty of story to be written on the 2025 Cardinals, and ultimately, the outcome of this season was always going to be defined by the direction the young core was heading in by season's end, not the wins and losses.

To be fair, the record they hold is in large part due to the young guys, and that's really encouraging. Brendan Donovan was an All-Star, Ivan Herrera has been one of the best bats in all of baseball, and Alec Burleson has emerged as a consistent impact bat for them. Masyn Winn hasn't taken a step forward at the plate, but he hasn't seen regression like other promising young Cardinals have after their rookie years. Victor Scott II looks much better this year, and Nolan Gorman seems to be figuring things out at the plate. And who would've thought that Matthew Liberatore would be a valuable rotation member?

Oh, and man oh man, JJ Wetherholt sure looks like a star in the making!

Sure, there's been some bad as well, but that's to be expected. Jordan Walker couldn't have had a worse season so far, and Lars Nootbaar has regressed offensively. While some young arms at the lower levels have taken surprise steps forward, the Cardinals' top pitching prospects who were near-MLB ready have spent too much time on the injured list or not quite pitched to the level we were hoping they would.

As far as runway goes, there's been a lot of positive, some negative, and more and more clarity being brought to Chaim Bloom and his staff as they set the reins from Mozeliak. That's what this season was all about, and now it is up to Bloom and his team to mold the Cardinals back into the club this fanbase deserves.

But in order to do that, Mozeliak must set aside his wishes for a nice farewell surprise run and do what is best for Bloom and his staff long-term. Yes, holding Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz would help them stay in this race and perhaps defy the odds, but at what cost? No, they aren't going to get flashy trade packages in return, but value is value, and you never know what could happen when you bolster your farm system with prospects from teams trying to aggressively add at the deadline. Oh, and maybe they convince a desperate team to give them anything of value for Erick Fedde.

Defining themselves as a seller should go beyond those expiring contracts as well. If the Cardinals declare their intentions and get to work on finding potential trade partners, they can even allow Bloom and his staff to explore decluttering some of this roster. Maybe there's a deal out there that makes sense to move on from Nootbaar or Walker? Perhaps they can make a future-oriented move and target a starting pitcher with control that Bloom and his team covet.

I doubt this happens, but maybe Willson Contreras or Sonny Gray allow the Cardinals to explore deals for them. I don't necessarily think the club should part ways with them, but they shouldn't shut down those conversations either if either player is open to them. Maybe they can finally pull off that Nolan Arenado trade...probably not. But hey, one can wish!

Adding value to the Cardinals' farm system by making seller's moves at this trade deadline has the best interests of their future in mind. Major bonus points if they are able to clear some logjams as well and give the players they want to prioritize true runway (and clear the way for Wetherholt!).

It will likely lead to a more frustrating second half in terms of club performance than we'd like to see, but you never know, we did see the Detroit Tigers get red hot last year after selling. Should the Cardinals bank on that happening? Uh, no. But they won't turn into a team like the Rockies or White Sox by moving a few pieces either.

It may be demoralizing to the clubhouse, but Oliver Marmol and his staff will need to thread that needle and make the narrative about opportunity and continuing to build, rather than waving the white flag. If this Cardinals young core truly believes it is worth investing in, prove it during the second half. Make a surprise run. And even if they fall short, a strong end to the season can bring Bloom and his staff the confidence to dream big this offseason.

The eulogy has been written. It's now up to the Cardinals front office to come to grips with it and act accordingly.