Cardinals Writer Predicts Fire Sale At Trade Deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a very slow start in 2025. For the third straight year, they find themselves under the .500 mark entering May.

St. Louis is 14-18 and five games back of the first place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. Last year, they went on a run to get back over .500 and were buyers at the trade deadline, ultimately finishing the year 83-79.

However, 2025 appears to be a different story for St. Louis, as they weren't expected to contend this year. Cardinals insider Jeff Jones recently predicted that the team will sell at this year's deadline on July 31.

"To be sure, the deadline will still matter. Ryan Helsley's upcoming trade is a fait accompli. [Erick] Fedde is not too far off from the same inevitability; neither is Phil Maton, the team's sole Major League free agent signing this winter," Jones predicted.

"In much the same way the prior offseason's moves turned over the front office's cards for the 2024 team, the same will hold true in 2025. This is a team that was designed to sell at the deadline, so they will."

For this strategy to change, St. Louis is going to have to get hot and surge to the top of the NL Central. Even in a weak division, that is unlikely.

In addition to the pitchers Jones listed, Steven Matz is boosting his trade value, and trades of Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray aren't out of the realm of possibility.

We'll see what John Mozeliak decides to do, but selling seems to be the most likely path.