Cardinals 11-Year Veteran In Danger As Trade Rumors Heat Up

Who would the St. Louis Cardinals be willing to move this summer ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline?

This is a question that has been asked in a lot of different ways this season and even dating back to this offseason. The Cardinals have been the biggest team mentioned in trade rumors this year, but St. Louis is 41-35 after a big 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Although the Cardinals are winning, The Athletic's Katie Woo talked about the possibility of St. Louis following the blueprint set by the Detroit Tigers last year in which it traded some pieces away at the deadline, but didn't have a full firesale and competed for a playoff spot. She specifically mentioned Steven Matz as a potential trade chip.

"Steven Matz could also be a trade candidate, but St. Louis would have to find a viable solution to backfill his spot in the bullpen, especially if it’s contending," Woo said. " There is also a chance the Cardinals become sellers but make themselves more competitive in the process. How is that possible, you ask? The 2024 Detroit Tigers serve as an ideal blueprint. The Tigers traded four players in the last deadline — Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin and Carson Kelly — but elected to keep eventual American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Those decisions opened the door for an abundance of young talent, which propelled Detroit to a playoff berth. That’s a path the Cardinals would gladly take this year."

The Cardinals have some talent in the minors just waiting for an opportunity. Pitching-wise, the Cardinals have guys like Michael McGreevy looking for consistent opportunities. Offensively, Thomas Saggese is the guy to watch out for now. Trading a few pieces to open the door for some of these younger guys likely wouldn't hurt their chances at a playoff spot this year while also giving some of these guys valuable early opportunities.