Cardinals Expected To Make 'Final Trade' With This Player

Three St. Louis Cardinals players have been all but ruled out in trades, while one player is still expected to be moved.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo provided an eleventh-hour trade deadline update on Thursday afternoon concerning the Cardinals and their remaining trade chips.

“Barring a last-minute change, Phil Maton is expected to be the final trade for the Cardinals,” Woo wrote.

Woo also provided updates on other names:

“Teams have inquired re: Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar, but according to a team source St. Louis has "not entertained that up to this point."

St. Louis has already made big deals around its bullpen this week, sending Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets and Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox. Buzz around Nolan Arenado continued to surface all week, but it appears that the eight-time All-Star isn't going anywhere.

With the bullpen moves, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak ultimately leaned into a rebuild that will continue after his departure, shedding multiple arms for young talent. It’s notable that Donovan, Burleson, and Nootbaar — all players on the younger side — were held onto tightly by Mozeliak. Trading Donovan, in particular, would have been a confusing move given the direction of the franchise.

Now, Cardinals fans will wait to see what kind of return Maton will bring in as the final hours before the deadline tick away.