Insider Has Statement About Cardinals' Trade Deadline Plans

Things are looking up for the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis was blown out by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday and now have a 47-39 record, good for third place in the National League Central. There arguably isn't a team out there that has been a bigger surprise this year than St. Louis.

The Cardinals were expected to be near the bottom of the overall National League standings heading into the 2025 season and one of the league's biggest deadline sellers. The Athletic's Katie Woo addressed the upcoming trade deadline and made it sound like the Cardinals aren't going to fully go in either direction as a full-on buyer or a full-on seller.

"Buyers? Sellers? Holders? All of the above? Barring a collapse, it’s unlikely the Cardinals will be true sellers," Woo said. "However, it’s equally doubtful St. Louis commits to an all-in approach. The organization has an opportunity to trade away players, bolster the farm system and open up major-league opportunity for a handful of players, and improve while doing so.

"How does that make sense? Take a look at the Detroit Tigers. Last year, the Tigers traded several players on expiring deals, including Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and Mark Canha. Detroit netted a handful of prospects and opened the door for several of its young players to play every day. By definition, the Tigers were sellers. But the Tigers took off in the second half, going 30-13 from Aug. 13 on to clinch an improbable wild-card spot. Detroit now has the best record in the American League."

This makes a lot of sense. For as good as St. Louis has been, there is still a significant change coming after the season as John Mozeliak moves on from the president of baseball operations role for the team. The Cardinals already made it clear that they are turning to Chaim Bloom after the season. Will they mortgage the future or do anything signfiicant before he takes over? It doesn't seem likely.