Cardinals' Alec Burleson Admits He Was 'Hurt' By Trade Rumors

Alec Burleson has taken a big step in the right direction for the St. Louis Cardinals this season and has quickly become one of the faces of the franchise.

Burleson, 27, was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft and has spent his entire five-season career in St. Louis. The left-handed slugger has been a consistent source of offense for the Cardinals over the past few seasons, but has taken his skills to an entirely new level this season.

Burleson has been phenomenal for the Cardinals this season

Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eight inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Silver Slugger has quietly become a foundational piece for the Cardinals and is having the best season of his career. Burleson is slashing .291/.356/.488 this year while mashing 21 home runs and driving in a career-high 96 runs, tied for second in the league with teammate Jordan Walker. In addition to leading the league in doubles, Burleson has also been a stout defender, leading the league with over 1,000 defensive putouts.

With two more years of team control left, Burleson was reportedly one of the most popular names that kept popping up at the trade deadline, especially as the Cardinals made the smart decision to sell despite their success. During a recent appearance on Foul Territory, Burleson admitted that hearing his name included in trade rumors hurt, and he expressed his love for St. Louis.

"I was thinking about that at the trade deadline this year, obviously we're building towards something that is going to look really good in the next couple of years," Burleson said on Friday. "In the off chance this trade deadline that I was traded, it would have kind of hurt a little bit just to leave that. I love St. Louis, my family loves St. Louis, obviously all of the guys here I've played with — either we played in the minors together or we've been with the Cardinals in the big leagues for a while."

"On the off chance that I was traded at the deadline, it would've hurt."@AlecBurleson9 wants to see it through with the Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/xURZs2Quop
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 21, 2026

Though it may have upset Burleson to hear his name in trade rumors before the deadline, it should show how highly regarded he is in the league, given how well he's performed. The Cardinals are in the middle of a rebuild, but they were smart to retain the lefty slugger. St. Louis already appears to be ahead of schedule in its rebuild and has had multiple players take a big step forward in their development, including Burleson.

If the Cardinals didn't view the 27-year-old as a key piece for the team's future, they would have dealt him at the trade deadline with his value sky-high.

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