The St. Louis Cardinals had a much better outlook on their potential for improvement, despite playing in a much-improved NL Central Division. The Cardinals entered the All-Star Break with a 51-46 record, losing three of the last five games played. They needed a strong start after the All-Star Break to get some positivity going before coming up on the trade deadline. They intend to be buyers at the trade deadline.
All signs point to St. Louis being a team to invest heavily in and being aggressive to become a wild-card team. One key reason the Cardinals are looking to buy into the trade market by July 31 is the latest big league report from USA Todayâs Bob Nightengale.
Three Stars Looking to Stay in St. Louis
In the extensive report, he believes the St. Louis Cardinals are likely to retain three of their core players. They are not willing to play for some of the teams they are linked to. These players include third baseman Nolan Arenado, right-handed starting pitcher Sonny Gray, and right-handed starting pitcher Miles Mikolas.
Arenado is in the sixth year of an eight-year; $260 million contract with the Cardinals. He becomes a free agent after the 2027 season. At 34 years old, Arenado still has some high-caliber years left for the Cardinals. St. Louis, however, might look to use his money and spread out to other needed positions.Â
Nightingale believes the Cardinals will keep Arenado past the trade deadline, based on the fact that he rejected potential trade deals with the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels. The interest in him hasnât been high since he rejected those potential deals, but he might prefer to stay in St. Louis.Â
The market for a starting pitcher is high. The Cardinals havenât been great with their pitching, but they feel they can make solid deals for win-now players for Gray or Mikolas. Gray (4.04 ERA in 20 starts) and Mikolas (5.20 ERA in 19 starts) haven’t been great, but they’re still capable of All-Star seasons.
The Cardinals won’t get anything in return for trading either player, considering they are exercising their no-trade clauses. Unlike Arenado, neither Gray nor Mikolas has any desire to leave St. Louis altogether.
Cardinals Receiving Heavy Interest for Talented Relief Pitcher
If there is one player the St. Louis Cardinals can trade by the deadline, it would be right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Helsley. Nightingale says the Cardinals are still deciding his future. Helsley is on a one-year; $8.2 million deal, and St. Louis reportedly doesnât have plans for a qualifying offer.Â
The Cardinalsâ front office could let him finish the rest of the season and play for a potential playoff team, but they know he has high value. In 34 innings pitched, Helsley has accounted for an ERA of 3.18 and delivered 37 strikeouts. He has allowed 34 hits, only 12 runs, and 14 walks. The Cardinals might reportedly have five postseason contenders heavily interested in the talented relief pitcher, which could create high value. If the Cardinals want to go for the temporary players to help them compete, trading Helsley could help.
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