The Case for the Cardinals to be Buyers At The Deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in a better position in 2025 than they have been in either of the past two seasons by this point. At 44-37, they have the best winning percentage by June 25 since 2022. That was the last season the Cardinals won the N.L. Central. With a somewhat surprisingly competitive team already, the Cardinals are in a position to make a push for the Postseason with some tweaks at the trade deadline. However, the team remains undecided about whether to buy or sell. 

Ownership Open to Spending More for Wins

The Cardinals are three games out of the N.L. Central and jockeying for the final Wild Card spot as June comes to a close. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has repeatedly hinted that the franchise is open to spending more if they remain competitive. Most recently, he talked about the Trade Deadline approach on KMOX radio on June 15.

“Hopefully we have a lot of success, and we have some challenging decisions to make when we get to that trading deadline,” Mozeliak said. 

Mozeliak had similar comments on MLB Now at the beginning of June.

“Looking at how we’re playing right now, if we can keep this up, I do think ownership will let us look to add pieces that make us stronger,” Mozeliak said.

The Cardinals cut their payroll by $83.5 million from last season in anticipation of a reset. The team was also facing uncertainty over its broadcast deal after Diamond Sports Group declared bankruptcy. The team now has a new broadcast deal in place with FanDuel Sports Network. Now that they are winning, they may consider taking on more money to try and compete down the stretch.

Balancing Wins vs Development

The Cardinals main priority will still be developing the youth in their organization. The team parted ways with several veteran pitchers already to make room for Andre Pallante and Matthew Liberatore in the starting rotation. They filled Paul Goldschmidt’s departure by moving Willson Contreras to first base to make room for Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages behind the plate. They have committed to giving Jordan Walker more room to run this season.

The Cardinals are competitive, and some of the playing time will be ceded to players the team didn’t anticipate. Alec Burleson appears to have earned his way into the lineup on a daily basis, which could push Walker out of some starts. Nolan Gorman is heating up, and the Cardinals will continue to search for ways to get him in the lineup. 

Decisions on who will continue to receive playing time and who could lose it at the deadline will come down to Mozeliak. However, at the end of the season, he is stepping down to make way for Chaim Bloom. As a result, Mozeliak said he will consult with Bloom as the deadline talks intensify.

“As we start to have to consider decisions that will impact 2026 and beyond, we definitely want to have his input,” Mozeliak told KMOX on June 15. 

Where Can the Cardinals Improve

The Cardinals offense has made a turnaround this season. They are sixth in the League in runs, ninth in batting average, and fifth in on-base percentage. However, they are lagging in slugging. The team is 16th in slugging percentage and 19th in home runs.

The Cardinals are also struggling vs left-handed pitching. Their lineup has a .241 batting average against left-handed pitchers. That is 14th in the League. Versus right-handed pitching, the Cardinals are third in the League at .261. The Cardinals could look to add a strong right-handed bat to their lineup at the deadline.

Where the Cardinals can really improve is their pitching. They aren’t terrible in the department, but they’re average. Their bullpen ERA is 16th in the League at 3.88 while their starter ERA is 4.10 — also 16th in the League. The Cardinals’ starters have given them the sixth most innings of any team, which has helped the bullpen, which was struggling at first.

If the Cardinals look to add at the deadline, it will likely be to the bullpen. The team has starters they like and depth at the position, with Michael McGreevy available for spot starts or in case of injury. Despite Ryan Helsley’s up-and-down year, they still have a top-of-the-line closer. They also have a great setup option with their lone MLB free agency signing of the offseason, with Phil Maton. They could use pitchers to help with the middle innings when needed.