Cardinals Insider Reveals Potential Trade Deadline Approach

The St. Louis Cardinals are on the fence right now. What I mean by that is they're stuck in the middle of contending and rebuilding.

This leaves their trade deadline approach in question for the time being.

MLB.com's John Denton recently revealed the two ways the Cardinals' trade deadline could go. Denton claims if they're competitive and buying, the Cardinals will hunt pitching, but if they fall out of the race, they'll look to load up on prospects.

"This one requires some straddling of the fence because it all depends on where the Cardinals are in the standings at the Trade Deadline," Denton wrote. "If they are in the hunt for an NL Central Crown or a Wild Card berth they could look to add to a pitching staff that has started showing cracks of late. Sonny Gray has been the ace the team needed and Matthew Liberatore was solid early on, but Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas have been inconsistent.

"If the Cards are out of it, they will almost assuredly look to move closer Ryan Helsley and Fedde. Also, they will likely resume looking for a suitable suitor for third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is desperate to play for a championship contender."

If the Cardinals fall out of contention, the trade deadline will be simple. They'd likely trade their expiring players, like Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde among others, to land as much prospect capital as possible.

If they begin winning games again, the trade deadline will be a bit more difficult. As Denton stated, the Cardinals need pitching, but their lineup hasn't been great recently either. St. Louis could upgrade in the outfield as well as the bullpen and starting rotation.