After a rocky start to the season, the St Louis Cardinals have become one of the biggest surprises in Major League Baseball.
Thanks to an offense that ranks fourth in MLB in batting average, a rotation with four starters possessed an ERA below 4.00, and a deep and talented bullpen headlined by closer Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals have won 20 of their last 29 contests after their 14-19 start. The highlight of this torrid stretch was a nine-game winning streak in which the Redbirds outscored their opponents 47-18.
Yet even after this spectacular month of baseball, the Cardinals still have their work cut out for them. They still sit five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central and have seen the rival Milwaukee Brewers keep pace during their own hot streak. Even the Wild Card is not a lock for the Cardinals in the stacked National League, as they currently are on the outside looking in behind the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
While the Cardinals would undoubtedly prefer to make a push for their first postseason appearance since 2022, the fierce competition in the National League may lead them to commence what could be a fruitful sell-off. Among the possible trade chips are expiring starting pitchers Erik Fedde and Miles Mikolas, the aforementioned Helsely and relievers Phil Maton and Steven Matz, each of whom has an ERA below 3.00. The Cardinals would also love to trade 34-year-old third baseman Nolan Arenado, who vetoed a trade to the Houston Astros in the offseason, and could even look to move expensive veterans Wilson Contreras and Sonny Gray.
Due to the sheer talent and volume of their assets, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes they could shape the trade deadline more than any other team.
“If things go even a bit south in these next eight weeks, though, the Cardinals could still end up putting together quite the fire sale,” Miller wrote. “They're barely clinging to the final wild-card spot as it is, and if they enter July 31 four or more games out of the field, this could be the biggest sale of them all.”
Though the Cardinals already have the makings of a strong young core in catcher Iván Herrera, second baseman Brendan Donavan, shortstop Masyn Winn, center fielder Victor Scott II, and starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore, their play over the next two months and subsequent trade deadline decisions will go a long way to determining how quickly they return to World Series contention.
More MLB: Kyle Schwarber predicted to refuse Phillies extension