Cardinals Receiving Interest In Alec Burleson

The Cardinals have yet to participate in the trade deadline festivities, but they’re likely to be sellers after a rough week dropped them four games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. St. Louis has multiple veterans who could help contending teams. One option garnering interest is first baseman Alec Burleson, with Jon Morosi of MLB Network reporting he’s “one of the most popular controllable bats” available.

Burleson has followed up his breakout 2025 campaign with another strong all-around season. He’s slashed .284/.347/.458 through 111 games. The 27-year-old has plenty of experience in both corner outfield spots, but he’s only played first base this season.

The hitting profile for Burleson is interesting, particularly for a first baseman. He’s a borderline elite source of batting average and contact, but the power is lacking. The lefty swinger has settled in as a 20-homer bat since becoming a full-time player. Burleson has bumped his hard-hit rate to a career-best 48.7% and his barrel rate to 11% this year. The result has mainly been a bump in doubles. He’s already set a career high with 27 two-baggers. Burleson is at 15 home runs and has an outside shot at besting the 21 he hit back in 2024.

Burleson has improved his walk rate to 8.3% this year. His strikeout rate has ticked up to 15.7%, but that’s still an excellent mark. Burleson has pushed his pulled air rate up near 20%, so perhaps he can tap into more power potential. He ranks in the 95th percentile or better in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG.

The Cardinals have Burleson under team control for the next two seasons beyond this one, so there’s no rush to move him. He’s playing on an affordable $3.3MM contract after his first trip through the arbitration process. Burleson could remain a key part of the next contending team in St. Louis. The club could also field offers once again next season if things don’t go as planned in 2027.

The Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in Burleson, per John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports. The club has been in the market for left-handed hitters for quite some time. Arizona could sorely use an upgrade at first base. The club ranks dead last by more than 40 points with a .600 OPS at the position. Arizona has trotted out 10 different players at the cold corner, led by journeyman Ildemaro Vargas.

It’s been a quiet deadline so far for the Diamondbacks. The club has picked up four wins in the past five games and currently holds one of the NL Wild Card spots. Arizona has held steady in a tightly bunched National League while teams like the Cardinals, Nationals, and Pirates have fallen back. Swinging for Burleson would be costly, but he’d slot in nicely between switch-hitter Ketel Marte and righty Gabriel Moreno. The Diamondbacks could also pursue cheaper alternatives at first base.