The Cardinals have put themselves in a tricky spot as the trade deadline creeps closer, and the biggest mistake they can make is the easiest one to justify: doing nothing.
At 47-41, St. Louis entered Tuesday’s action just a half-game out of the third National League wild card spot, which gives the front office a real decision to make. The club spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster as part of a rebuild, but there’s still plenty left on the to-do list.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the one route the Cardinals need to avoid is standing pat.
"Standing pat is the best way to assure a stagnant outcome - and not a favorable one," Goold said in his weekly Cardinals chat.
"Standing pat would mean not building upon something this season or building toward something in the coming years. Standing pat is essentially what got the Cardinals in this spot.
Buy. Sell.
Do Both. Get creative."
That’s the heart of it. The Cardinals spent most of the 2024-25 offseason leaving the roster alone, and the result was a team that still hadn’t clearly chosen a direction. That indecision helped land them in the position they’re in now.
Goold floated a more interesting possibility: the Cardinals could buy and sell at the same time. That kind of move would let them chase help for the current season while also positioning the organization for the next couple of years. It’s a more aggressive answer than sitting still, and it fits a team that needs to keep one eye on the present without losing sight of the future.
Even so, the Cardinals still need to stay true to the rebuild. They remain a few years away from being a legitimate contender, which makes selling at least part of the roster a sensible option. However they choose to approach it, they’re going to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch as the deadline approaches.
One thing is clear: standing pat is not the answer.
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