The Cardinals find themselves in a tricky spot as the trade deadline approaches. Sitting at 48-43 and just a couple of games from the final wild-card position, St. Louis is close enough to matter but far enough away to make its next move hard to read.
That uncertainty is especially notable after the offseason reset under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. The Cardinals entered the winter expecting a full rebuild and moved on from Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado, while also trading Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox. With that kind of turnover, this season was not supposed to look like this.
Instead, St. Louis has hung around the playoff race, which leaves the front office with a delicate decision at the deadline. A major buying push would be a surprise, and it could come with real risk if the Cardinals give up meaningful prospects or pay too much for help in a year they did not expect to be in this position.
If the Cardinals do decide against selling, the smarter path may be targeting short-term help without locking themselves into anything long term. One name that fits that mold is New York Mets reliever Brooks Raley, whom Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly labeled a “buy-low” option.
"Brooks Raley might not be the guy an NL contender acquires to get Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper or Matt Olson out in the eighth inning, but he could be someone an aggressive manager turns to in the sixth to try to get out of a jam against a tough lefty," Kelly wrote on Wednesday. "Lefties are hitting just .188 with a .572 OPS against Raley this year. In the three-batter minimum era, you need to be able to get out righties as well, and he has done that, with right-handed hitters batting .236 with a .698 OPS off of him this season.
"Raley is 38 years old and on an expiring contract, so he's not going to bring back much for the Mets. Both he and A.J. Minter are interesting left-handed options that David Stearns likely will deal in the coming weeks."
Raley would give St. Louis another arm for a bullpen that has been shaky this season, with a 4.31 ERA that sits in the bottom half of the league. And because he is 38 and on an expiring deal, adding him would not appear to disrupt any larger rebuilding plan.
If the Cardinals are going to add at all, a low-cost move for someone like Raley looks like the cleanest fit.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Call Fans Have Wanted
The Cardinals have quietly built one of the more interesting catching situations in the organization, with enough depth on the major league side and in the upper minors to make the position look more like a trade chip than a need. With Chaim Bloom now steering the front office, the club is at least open to the idea that a surplus behind the plate could help address a different area before the deadline, and that kind of roster math has become part of the conversation around St. Louis.
Ken Rosenthal reported that the Cardinals are weighing whether to move one of their catchers, while still protecting the top of the system and keeping the most prized names out of the discussion. The challenge is deciding how far to go from there, because a few of the available options have either reached the majors already or are close enough that another club could see real value in them, and the asking price could shape how aggressively St. Louis tries to act. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face Huge Pressure With Two Day 1 Draft Fits In Play
The Cardinals are already looking ahead to the 2026 MLB Draft, and the conversation starts with a familiar kind of pressure for a team trying to restock the pipeline. St. Louis is holding multiple picks, including a premium first-round choice, and the early read on its board points straight at the two spots that matter most: starting pitching and third base. With the draft still far away, the club has time to sort through a class that will be shaped by slot values, signability and the usual uncertainty that comes with trying to line up a long-term fit.
Cameron Flukey and Ace Reese have emerged as the names to know in that discussion, giving the Cardinals a pair of Day 1 directions that would address immediate organizational needs. The challenge is that draft boards rarely stay tidy for long, especially when a team is weighing upside against the economics of the pick, so St. Louis will have to be patient as the picture comes into focus. For now, the intrigue is less about certainty than about which path the Cardinals will trust when their turn arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Made A Franchise Shaping JJ Wetherholt Commitment
The Cardinals have moved quickly to secure one of the most important young pieces in their lineup, agreeing to a long-term extension with rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt after a strong first season in St. Louis. It is the kind of deal that signals exactly how the organization views him: not just as a promising bat, but as a player worth building around while he is still early in his career.
For the front office, the timing matters as much as the talent. The extension buys out multiple years of Wetherholts free agency and keeps him in St. Louis well beyond his initial contract window, a clear bet that his value will only keep climbing from here. With the Cardinals already seeing real production from him, the move gives the club cost certainty and a centerpiece to plan around, even if the full financial shape of the agreement is still the part everyone will be talking about. [Read more 🡒]