The Cardinals’ second-half stumble has put their trade deadline plans in a very different light, and it may also open the door for one of their top arms to get his shot.
St. Louis dropped six of its first eight games after the break, slid out of the playoff picture, and now sits more than two games behind the final wild-card spot with a 52-51 record.
That kind of skid changes the conversation fast. A team that wasn’t expected to be a powerhouse in the first place now looks far less likely to make a splash as a buyer, especially with the organization already prepared to head into a full-scale rebuild this offseason.
Even if the Cardinals end up selling, one move still makes plenty of sense: calling up Quinn Matthews.
The 25-year-old left-hander has been rolling at Triple-A Memphis, and his latest outing only strengthened the case. In his most recent start, Matthews struck out 10 and matched his season high by going seven innings, allowing Durham just one unearned run.
"Quinn Mathews has been knocking on the door of a callup to the big leagues, and another superb start for Triple-A Memphis on Friday will only help his case," MLB.com's Max Ralph wrote on Saturday. "The Cardinals’ No. 7 prospect posted a season-high 10 strikeouts while tying his season-long outing of seven innings, holding Durham to just one unearned run.
"Mathews, the 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, now has a sparkling 1.59 ERA in his last 10 starts and a strong 3.13 ERA on the season overall. He’s allowed more than three hits just once in this dominant 10-start stretch, and his 111 total strikeouts across 19 starts leads all Cardinals Minor Leaguers."
Matthews, whom St. Louis selected in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, has moved quickly through the system. He struck out more than 200 batters in 2024 and has continued to develop into a quality left-handed starter.
That left-handed profile matters for a Cardinals rotation that could use another arm from that side, particularly if the front office moves any pitchers before the deadline. Matthews has done everything asked of him in the minors, and a promotion would give St. Louis a chance to reinforce the rotation while giving its No. 7 prospect a look in the majors.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Got A Left Field Bullpen Lifeline To Consider
A bullpen search can take on a different shape this time of year, especially for a club like the Cardinals that is always weighing short-term help against long-term cost. Dennis Santana fits that kind of conversation. He has shown enough in the past to make teams look twice, including a season with 16 saves and a 2.18 ERA, and his contract status means any club that takes a chance on him would not be tying itself down for long.
The appeal is obvious, but so is the caution. Santana has not been nearly as sharp this season, with the kind of command and contact issues that make a reliever harder to trust in a tight game, which is why the Cardinals would be looking at him as more of a low-risk flier than a sure fix. For a team trying to keep its relief options flexible, the question is whether there is enough of the old version left to justify a move now. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Deadline Decision That Could Split The Fanbase
The Cardinals have spent the past two years rebuilding the kind of prospect depth that changes the way a front office can think at the deadline. Since Chaim Bloom took over before the 2026 season, St. Louis has leaned hard into trading established big leaguers for younger talent, and the result is a farm system that now sits among the best in baseball, with Rainiel Rodriguez, Liam Doyle and Joshua Bez headlining the group. For a fan base used to expecting the Cardinals to buy at the right moment, the new reality is a little different, and maybe a little more complicated.
Thats why the next move matters so much. The organization has already shown it is willing to move recognizable names in the right deal, but the current crop of prospects gives it a different kind of leverage, and a different kind of temptation. The question now is whether St. Louis stays patient and protects the premium talent it has built up, or decides the moment is big enough to push chips in for a star with years of control. [Read more 🡒]
Former Brewers Reliever Already Resurfaced With An NL Central Team
Peter Strzelecki did not stay on the open market long after leaving Milwaukee, and the Cardinals moved quickly to bring the right-hander into the fold on a minor league deal. It is the sort of low-risk bullpen add teams make this time of year, especially when they are looking for experienced arms who already know how to navigate a big league season.
Strzeleckis path has been a winding one since 2022, when he began piling up major league appearances with Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cleveland, while also spending time at Triple-A with multiple organizations. For the Cardinals, the appeal is straightforward: add another arm to the system, keep the depth chart flexible and see whether a familiar name can give the relief group another option down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]