MLB Writer Expresses Concern Over Cardinals Trade Deadline Strategy

The St. Louis Cardinals are riding high as the month of May nears its end. After sitting at 14-19 on May 2, the team has won 18 of its last 23 games and are eight games above the .500 mark.

It's still unclear what they will do at the trade deadline, but they seem to be trending towards buying rather than selling, as many around the game predicted would happen.

The Cardinals have been one of Major League Baseball's hottest teams in the month of May. The only question is whether or not they can sustain it going forward.

Will Leitch of MLB.com noted that while they are performing well, he is skeptical that they'll be aggressive buyers at the deadline.

"The more they win, the less likely they are to trade Arenado, Fedde or closer Ryan Helsley, players many thought the Cardinals would have on the market at the Deadline, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be aggressive buyers either," Leitch wrote. "The Cardinals don’t have any obvious holes right now. But if any appear, you wonder how hard they will push to fill them."

The Cardinals haven't been aggressive deadline buyers in over a decade when they made a blockbuster deal to acquire John Lackey from the Boston Red Sox, and the last big deadline swing prior to that was the trade for Matt Holliday in 2009.

If the Cardinals want to contend, big swings are required. If they won't do that, then they might be best off doing a little selling.