ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals, to the surprise of some, have held their own in the National League’s postseason pool over the last several weeks.
As the clock ticks on MLB’s trade deadline, less than three weeks away, the Cardinals could make some moves to push for the postseason. That said, according to one major MLB Insider, don’t count on a pure blockbuster.
Ken Rosenthal, lead baseball reporter for The Athletic and MLB on Fox, joined the Foul Territory digital baseball show on Thursday to analyze where many teams stand ahead of trade deadline.
The Cardinals (48-44) improved to a season-best six games above .500 before they were swept in a doubleheader with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. A surge since Mother’s Day (33-20) has propelled St. Louis into the October conversation on the heels of a rare losing season last year.
The Cardinals hold the National League’s second Wild Card spot with only a one-game cushion, though they are also somewhat within striking distance of the NL Central division-leading Milwaukee Brewers, just five games out as of Thursday afternoon.
For some franchises, this would be a green light to make a big splash. For the Cardinals, Rosenthal argues that may not be the case.
“I’d like to see them be more aggressive. I just don’t expect it,” said Rosenthal via Foul Territory. “I expect them to make complementary moves to what they have, and if they make a bigger one, good for them.”
Before their most recent World Series title (2011), the Cardinals seemed a little more willing to make big splashes at the deadline, with Mark McGwire (1997), Scott Rolen (2002) and Matt Holliday (2009) among their biggest in not-too-distant history.
These type of deals haven’t transpired midseason as often over the last decade. The status quo, it seems when competing for playoffs, is to settle for more depth moves, such as Jon Lester in 2021 or Brandon Moss in 2015.
“It would go counter to the way they’ve generally operated in the past,” said Rosenthal on the possibility of a Cardinals deadline splash. “I don’t know that we’ve seen them make many dramatic moves at the deadline.”
On the other hand, there’s a lot more parity in the league than years past. Even recent champions in playoff spots, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, more vulnerable than recent years.
Getting into the postseason alone gives the Cardinals a potential opportunity to play spoiler, especially given the success of lower-seeded teams under the expanded Wild Card format. Adding new pieces at the deadline, big or small, could make a difference come fall.
“If you’re a team like the Cardinals, why not get a little bit more aggressive in the hope of maybe stealing this thing this year? It’s not out of the question that they could do that,” said Rosenthal.
Rosenthal suggests the Cardinals’ biggest needs at the deadline are a reliable fifth starting pitcher for the rotation and a quality right-handed hitter.
He says St. Louis may also reevaluate its needs on offense if veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado can find top form. The health of utilityman Tommy Edman could certainly impact roster decisions as well.
At the very least, the approach should look different than last year’s deadline, when the Cardinals were pressured to move expiring free agents ahead of their first losing season since 2007.
The 2024 MLB trade deadline, the last possible moment to complete all midseason MLB trades, is set for 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 30.
The Cardinals will close out their first half of the MLB regular season with a four-game series against the rival Chicago Cubs over three days, starting Friday.
