The St. Louis Cardinals have spent most of this season making people rethink what they expected from them, but the next stretch will test whether that surprise start is real or just a hot first half.
At 95 games, St. Louis is one game out of a playoff spot, a position that looks a lot different from where the club stood last year.
The Cardinals were in the same place after 95 games in 2024 with a 50-45 record, only to stumble badly after the All-Star break and finish 78-84. That collapse sent the organization into a full-scale rebuild, with multiple star players shipped out.
This season, though, the Cardinals have kept pushing forward. Jordan Walker, a former first-round draft pick, has taken a major step in his development, earning his first career All-Star selection and winning the Home Run Derby.
Iván Herrera and Riley O'Brien were also named All-Stars, giving St. Louis a young core that has carried the team far beyond expectations.
Even with that progress, the bullpen has remained the club’s biggest concern. Late-game breakdowns have been a recurring problem, and they have already cost St.
Louis several games. O'Brien has handled the closer role in his first full season with a 3.43 ERA over 39 appearances, and he was recognized as an All-Star after converting 24 saves in 28 chances.
Still, the unit as a whole has been shaky, with the Cardinals combining for 15 blown saves through the first 95 games.
The numbers behind the bullpen tell the story. Of the seven relievers the Cardinals have leaned on most often this season, only one has an ERA under 3.00.
That kind of instability is exactly the sort of thing St. Louis cannot afford if it wants to keep its place in the race.
The trade deadline now adds another layer to the equation. The Cardinals were not necessarily built to be in this spot while rebuilding, but they are right in the middle of the playoff chase. If they choose to buy, adding a quality reliever or two should be near the top of the list.
However they handle the deadline, the message is simple: the Cardinals cannot keep giving away games in the late innings if they want this run to last.
In Other News...
Cardinals Pitcher Gets Pulled Into All-Star Game Injury Scare
The All-Star Game took an uncomfortable turn when Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was forced out after being hit on the left hand by a pitch from Cardinals right-hander Riley OBrien. The play immediately shifted the tone of the exhibition, and Miguel Vargas stepped into Camineros spot in the American League lineup as the game moved on without one of its young stars.
Even with the pitch appearing accidental, OBrien ended up absorbing a wave of angry reaction online, the kind that can follow a scary moment in a showcase setting. For St. Louis, it was an unwelcome flashpoint involving one of its pitchers on a stage meant to be about celebration, and the fallout showed how quickly a routine All-Star appearance can turn into a public relations headache. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Lost A Veteran Arm In A Familiar Weak Spot
Bruce Zimmermanns brief run with the Cardinals ended as quickly as it began, another reminder of how often the club has to churn through arms while trying to keep the staff afloat. The left-hander was designated for assignment after his lone major league appearance on July 7, then moved through the usual roster machinery as St. Louis continued a series of minor league transactions across the system.
The bigger picture for the Cardinals is that this is a familiar weak spot, even with some Triple-A depth to draw from. Quinn Mathews, Brycen Mautz, Hunter Dobbins and others give the organization options on paper, but the constant movement shows how little margin there is when an injury or short-term need opens a spot on the pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Took Another Low-Risk Swing With Intriguing Power Upside
The Cardinals have added another low-cost lottery ticket to the organization, this time bringing in an outfielder with real pop from the college ranks. Tristan Bissettas final season at Ole Miss gave scouts something to latch onto, as he paired a .272/.382/.601 line with 23 home runs and showed the kind of power that can make a minor league deal look a lot more interesting than the label suggests.
Bissetta also comes with the usual questions that follow a big-swing bat, which is why this is the sort of move St. Louis can make without much downside. The club has quietly been building out its prospect depth in recent days, too, after recently adding catcher John Lemm, and these are the kinds of signings that can matter later if one of them finds a way to stick. [Read more 🡒]