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The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tough spot this season. They're stuck between contending and rebuilding and it's leaving the front office a tough decision at the trade deadline.
Should they sell their expiring contracts to net big prospect returns? Guys like Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde would likely net solid hauls. Or should they be buyers at the deadline and chase some of the better names on the market in an attempt to win the World Series this season?
The correct answer is somewhere in the middle. To see the best short term and long term results, the Cardinals should entertain the idea of selling on guys like Fedde and Helsley while looking to acquire controllable talent.
The key word there is "controllable" because the Cardinals need to get multiple years of production out of a trade target for the deal to be worth it.
With that in mind, the Cardinals could look to target a reunion with Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara.
The Marlins ace began his career with St. Louis before being moved to the Marlins. Now with a few years left on his team-friendly contract, the Marlins could look to move him.
But the massive question mark that surrounds the righty is his lack of solid production since elbow surgery.
Alcántara won the National League Cy Young award in 2022 before having a down year in 2023 and undergoing Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season. Since returning, he's been pretty bad, allowing at least four runs in six of his nine starts this season.
But his trade value may never be lower and the Cardinals could take a chance on him returning to form. If they're able to land massive prospect hauls for players like Fedde and Helsley, the team could afford to go after somebody like Alcántara with the hope that he returns to form in the next year.
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Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Important trade stalls as Maple Leafs dangle bottom-six forward
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for a solution to their bottom-six surplus, and veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok remains at the center of trade discussions. However, according to The Fourth Period, trade talks surrounding the 33-year-old winger have failed to gain momentum. They write: “He has a $2.1M cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. The market hasn’t been vibrant, to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him.” Why can’t the Maple Leafs find a taker for Jarnkrok? Jarnkrok has quietly been on the trade block for much of the offseason, but general manager Brad Treliving has yet to find a taker. After adding several depth forwards this summer, the Leafs now face a crowded bottom six — and Jarnkrok’s age, injury history and $2.1M cap hit through 2025–26 aren’t helping his value. Since joining Toronto, Jarnkrok has appeared in only 71 games over two seasons, scoring a modest 28 points. While his defensive versatility and penalty-killing ability are assets, his declining offensive production and durability concerns have made teams wary. With training camp approaching, the Maple Leafs may be forced to keep Jarnkrok on the roster — or retain salary in a deal — if they want to create space and flexibility. Dropping his cap hit down to just over $1M would open up the market a little. Until then, the Swedish forward remains a trade candidate in limbo. This isn’t great news as moving Jarnkrok from the roster is an important item on the team’s to-do list. Treliving would like more cap space, and with Jarnkrok and David Kampf both still on the roster, it hampers the GM’s ability to do other things.
Tigers' needs even more apparent after loss to Blue Jays
If the Detroit Tigers had to go on a slump, they arguably picked the best time. Because days before the July 31 trade deadline, their needs have never been more apparent. The Tigers (60-46) dropped their sixth consecutive game in a 6-1 loss to the AL-leading Toronto Blue Jays (63-42). Since July 9, Detroit is 1-12, the league's worst record. During that span, the offense has scored 33 runs (2.5 runs per game) with two shutouts. Batters are hitting .200 (84-of-421). On Saturday, the Tigers were 2-of-29 at the plate, with catcher Jake Rogers the only player to record a hit. The offense squandered another strong start from ace Tarik Skubal, who pitched six shutout innings, allowed five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Detroit's extended slump has demonstrated the team's glaring need for a quality bat in its lineup. But as awful as the offense has been, a more pressing concern might be adding arms to one of the league's worst bullpens. Per Baseball Reference, the Tigers are fourth-worst in relief pitching wins above replacement (WAR) at negative-3.5. In Saturday's loss, Will Vest and Chase Lee allowed all six of the Blue Jays' runs over the final two innings. Over the course of the team's prolonged skid, Tigers relievers have a ghastly 7.72 earned run average (ERA). Detroit was, at one point this month, 25 games above .500 and holding a staggering 14-game lead in the AL Central. The Tigers still have a sizable eight-game lead in the division with the Cleveland Guardians (51-52), Kansas City Royals (51-53) and Minnesota Twins (50-53) committed to mediocrity, but for a team that once looked like the AL's crown jewel, the past two-plus weeks have been a sobering wake-up call. The front office must get busy over the next couple of days to fortify the roster. Otherwise, Detroit's strong start could turn into a mirage.
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