Cardinals Again Linked to 5-Time Gold Glover Matt Chapman Despite Red Flag

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that has surprised people around baseball, to say the least.

May 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) throws the ball in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

We're at a point in the 2026 Major League Baseball calendar in which trade rumors and speculation around the league start to significantly pick up.

For the St. Louis Cardinals over the last few years, that has meant a lot of noise about which guys on the roster could help a contender elsewhere. Last year, Ryan Helsley was the talk of the bullpen market. St. Louis ultimately traded him to the New York Mets.

This year, the Cardinals are in a different place. The Cardinals are good. St. Louis is 40-33 on the season despite entering the season with very low expectations around baseball. There were many who were calling this Cardinals team a potential last-place club. Instead, the Cardinals have quieted the noise around the league.

Still, the deadline is going to be tricky. If the Cardinals are still playing this well in August, do you add a big piece and make a push to try to make a deep run? Do you make a smaller and cheaper move around the edges? Do you try to do a bit of buying and selling at the same time? Do you sell pieces regardless? Or, do you simply do nothing? The Cardinals have a lot of work to do, but right now, at least the perception out there around the league has shifted from people talking about this team as a seller, to linking them to big-name trade candidates. For example, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand listed the Cardinals among the potential fits for San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, along with the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.

Should The Cardinals Stretch For Matt Chapman?

Jun 14, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Matt Chapman (26) runs to the dugout after scoring a run on an RBI single hit by infielder Bryce Eldridge (not pictured) against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

"Matt Chapman, 3B, Giants," Feinsand wrote. "The Giants are in full-on sell mode, prepared to take offers on their high-priced players, including Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers. Chapman, who is owed $100 million over the next four years, is the most likely of the trio to be moved, as he remains an above-average glove at third base while also producing offensively (7 HR, 41 RBIs, .737 OPS in 73 games). Potential fits: Cardinals, Phillies, Yankees."

It's wild how the perception has shifted this season. This isn't the first time this week that the Cardinals have been linked to Chapman. ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel also mentioned the Cardinals as a fit. The idea seemed unlikely when they said it and it still is now, unfortunately. Chapman is a very good player, but he has four years left on his deal and over $100 million. He probably wouldn't even cost much in the trade market, but the whole point of the offseason before the 2026 season was shedding big veteran contracts. It's hard to believe the Cardinals would add another right now.

As a player, Chapman would add an intriguing bat. But the contract just doesn't seem to align with where the team is right now.