The Cardinals are hovering in that awkward middle ground as the trade deadline approaches. They could try to buy without touching the top of the farm system, or they could pivot into seller mode and open up a much longer list of possible deals.
The obvious names have already been floated - Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, Lars Nootbaar, and Riley O'Brien - but if St. Louis does decide to move pieces, a few other names could surface in a hurry.
Andre Pallante is the first one that stands out. He’s been the club’s steadiest starter this season, posting a 3.96 ERA and a 4.01 FIP across 18 starts and 100 innings.
He also has 1.4 fWAR, which is the second-most among Cardinals pitchers this year. Pallante isn’t going to overwhelm hitters with swing-and-miss stuff; he sits in the 14th percentile in strikeout rate and whiff rate, and in the 15th percentile in chase rate among all pitchers this season.
What he does do is keep the ball on the ground, and he does it as well as almost anyone. His 55.1% groundball rate ranks second among all qualified pitchers in baseball.
With team control through 2029, he’d make sense for a team looking for a controllable starter who can slot into the back half of a rotation. In a deal, the Cardinals could target a controllable third baseman, which would line up with a position that has been a problem for them this year.
Leonardo Bernal is another name that would catch attention. The Cardinals’ catching situation is crowded, with Jimmy Crooks, Pedro Pages, and Ivan Herrera already in the majors, while Bernal, Rainiel Rodriguez, and Ryan Campos are all performing well in the minors.
Something has to give eventually, and the deadline could be the moment. Bernal is highly regarded inside the organization.
He’s a plus switch-hitting catcher, and the reviews on his game-calling and his handling of a pitching staff have been strong. St.
Louis isn’t tied to any one catcher right now, but the club has also shown a desire to get more from Ivan Herrera and Jimmy Crooks behind the plate in the majors. Bernal is hitting .272/.357/.453 with 11 home runs in 74 games, and he’s putting together one of his best offensive seasons at the highest level of the minors.
Teams such as the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Boston Red Sox could all be in the market for catching help.
Then there’s Nolan Gorman, who might be the most intriguing surprise of the group. The Cardinals dealt Dylan Carlson at the 2024 deadline in a move that fit the profile of a change-of-scenery trade: a young player, still in his first year of arbitration, with more than 1,600 plate appearances and a 95 OPS+ that suggested the fit in St.
Louis had run its course. Gorman could be in a similar spot now.
He’s owed about $1.2 million for the rest of the season, is in his first year of arbitration, and has already logged more than 1,800 plate appearances. His line sits at a 93 OPS+, and while he’s been roughly average at third base this year, he’s also been worth -0.3 bWAR in 62 games.
He’s back in the minors and hasn’t shown any growth there. It’s not clear whether moving Gorman would be about a fresh start or simply clearing room on the 40-man roster.
He still has power, and his left-handed swing could appeal to teams hunting for pop from that side. Even so, his value is as low as it’s ever been, so any return would likely be modest.
In Other News...
Cardinals Deadline Picture Just Turned Into A Bullpen Gut Check
With the trade deadline closing in, the Cardinals are sorting through a bullpen market that could force some uncomfortable choices. The club has a few relievers who would draw interest from other teams, and the front office is weighing value against the need to keep the current group intact for a stretch run. It is the kind of deadline setup that leaves little room for sentiment, especially when the roster has to be judged against both present needs and what the market might return.
Riley O'Brien and JoJo Romero sit near the center of that conversation, while the rest of the picture is less dramatic but still important. St. Louis also appears inclined to ride with Dustin May, Ryne Stanek and Lars Nootbaar despite uneven stretches, which suggests the Cardinals are trying to balance short-term stability with longer-term roster planning. The final call is still unresolved, and for a team trying to navigate both its bullpen and its bigger deadline picture, that uncertainty may be the story. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Sent A Strong Message About Top Pick Rocco Maniscalco
The Cardinals have locked in one of the more intriguing names from their latest draft class, agreeing to terms with 17-year-old shortstop Rocco Maniscalco after taking him No. 50 overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. St. Louis went well above the slot value with a $3.2 million signing bonus, a clear sign the organization wanted to make sure the young infielders path led straight to pro ball rather than somewhere else.
Maniscalco had been committed to Mississippi State, so the Cardinals were not just buying talent, they were beating back a possible college route for a player they clearly view as a priority. The bonus and the age alone tell part of the story, but there is also a reason the club pushed so hard to get him signed now, and it starts with what he can already bring to the field. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Fans Wont Like Whos Suddenly Being Linked To Seiya Suzuki
The Cardinals recent slide has only sharpened the focus on where they stand in the NL Wild Card race, and it has also made an ESPN trade idea stand out a little more than usual. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel listed St. Louis among the possible landing spots for Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, a name that would immediately raise eyebrows given the way the two clubs are lined up in the standings and the fact that any move involving Chicagos outfield would carry real division intrigue.
Still, the fit looks more like a curiosity than a true front-office target. St. Louis already has Jordan Walker, Nathan Church and Lars Nootbaar in the outfield mix, with Joshua Bez next in line for depth, and the organization has not shown much appetite for short-term shortcuts this summer. With Chaim Bloom signaling a patient approach, the idea of the Cardinals and Cubs doing business on a player like Suzuki feels like the kind of rumor that gets attention without necessarily getting much traction. [Read more 🡒]