Cardinals May Have Lost 2 Trade Chips This Weekend

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players’ hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals May Have Lost 2 Trade Chips This Weekend

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Jul 19, 2026 11:37 AM ET

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The St. Louis Cardinals remain in possession of the third National League wild card spot despite Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are 51-46 and still have a good chance at reaching the postseason.

The trade deadline is going to be an interesting time for them. Their best path forward is to sell, but unfortunately, they may now be limited in who they can trade. Left-hander JoJo Romero was placed on the injured list on Friday after an appendectomy, and Dustin May's struggles continued, as he allowed five runs over five innings in Arizona on Saturday and watched his ERA rise to 4.78.

Cardinals may have to rethink trade deadline

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May hasn't quite been the same since he threw a complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres in June. He had dealt with some back issues and was even hit by a comebacker against the Atlanta Braves.

Both he and Romero are players on expiring contracts, so the expectation coming into the season was that the Cardinals could flip them for prospects. But with Romero out and May struggling, both pitchers are losing trade value.

The Cardinals can certainly still trade them, but unless May turns things around quickly, they likely can't expect to get a haul for him. The same goes for Romero.

It's possible that May is still not 100 percent after his back issues and the comebacker in Atlanta, so perhaps a stint on the injured list is in his future.

But with both pitchers not at 100 percent, the Cardinals now have a clear top trade chip, and that is Riley O'Brien. He picked up the save on Friday night as the Cardinals earned their 51st win of the year and was an All-Star. He also has three years of club control after 2026, so the Cardinals could get a decent haul for him at the deadline if they ship him out.

May and Romero likely won't bring back much at this point, but O'Brien could, so if the Cardinals are selling, that is who they need to focus on trading. Stockpiling arms in the farm system should be the main goal, and trading O'Brien is the best way for them to do that in terms of quality and quantity.

It will be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom is thinking, but May and Romero probably won't get them much in return at this point.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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