May 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove sit in the dug out before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Winners, Losers Looking Back At Cardinals Wild Trade Deadline

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The dust has fully settled on the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Months of rumors culminated in the July 31st trade deadline. After plenty of rumors and an insane amount of speculation, the St. Louis Cardinals ended up making three trades. The Cardinals traded Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox, Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets, and Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers.

It's going to be a while before we're able to truly evaluate what the young prospects the Cardinals brought to town could do. But, enough time has at least passed to determine who won and lost the deals, at least in the short term. This could change as the prospects St. Louis brought to town eventually move up the system because the Cardinals specifically targeted prospects not on the cusp of the big leagues.

Did the Cardinals get their pre-trade deadline deals right?

David Kohl-Imagn Images

Winners:

Steven Matz - Boston Red Sox
Matz was having the best season of his Cardinals career before he was traded ahead of the trade deadline. St. Louis doesn't look like a playoff team right now but he was able to jump right into a playoff race over in the American League. He has made six appearances so far with the Red Sox and has a 1.42 ERA across 6 1/3 innings pitched.

St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been inconsistent since the trade deadline, which is in line with most of the season overall. St. Louis traded three players heading to free agency that likely don't fit the long-term vision of the organization. The jury is still out on the packages brought back to St. Louis, but the Cardinals traded two players that are now struggling before they struggles could begin.

Losers:

New York Mets
The Mets traded for Ryan Helsley and he has one of his worst stretches in his career. He has made eight appearances and has a 7.11 ERA. It's been just 6 1/3 innings for Helsley, but this certainly isn't what the Mets expected.

Texas Rangers
The same can be said about Texas. The Rangers landed Phil Maton and he has a 7.36 ERA across seven total appearances for Texas. Before the trade, he had a 2.35 ERA in 40 appearances with the Cardinals. All in all, the Rangers got a very talented pitcher, but he's in the middle of a rough stretch.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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