With the deadline clock down to its final hours, the Cardinals still need a dance partner - and the Phillies keep looking like the cleanest match.
Philadelphia checks a lot of the same boxes St. Louis does.
The Phillies are hunting for an outfield bat and a starter, and like just about every contender, they could also use another bullpen arm. That gives the Cardinals multiple paths into the conversation.
Dustin May is one name already tied to Philadelphia. The Phillies reportedly have interest in him and scouted his most recent start. JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek could also draw attention.
Lars Nootbaar is another Cardinal who has landed on the Phillies’ radar, according to The Athletic. His rough season makes a deal trickier, but St. Louis is open to offers if a club wants to make a run at him.
Jeff Jones, writing on his subscription side Words About Birds, also connected the Cardinals and Phillies as a potential trade match because of how much the two sides have talked and circled each other in recent years, including during the Nolan Arenado saga.
That kind of background doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does make the fit harder to ignore, especially with the market starting to move.
The first big domino was Tarik Skubal going to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and that was followed by Freddy Peralta heading to the Tampa Bay Rays and Luis Garcia Jr. landing with the New York Yankees.
Those moves matter for St. Louis.
The Rays had been a suitor for May, but they may be out now after adding Peralta. The Yankees were seen as a strong fit for Nootbaar before the Garcia deal, and while either club could still circle back, both now appear less likely to deal with the Cardinals.
Philadelphia also has a bullpen need that stands out. The club has blown a number of leads this season, which puts it near the top of the list for relief help. Some relievers are already off the board, but the Cardinals still have another possible match there.
A deal between these teams could be built around one Cardinals trade chip, or it could become a multi-player package that lets the Phillies fill several holes at once. For St. Louis, that kind of structure could bring back a better prospect than a smaller move would, and with the Cardinals’ system already deep, going after higher upside makes sense.
There’s still time for the market to shift again, but the longer this drags on, the tougher it gets for St. Louis to land multiple deals. Sunday was slow for much of the market before things picked up, so Monday could bring another wave.
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