Cardinals Already Digging Their Own Grave with Poor Second-Half Start

The Cardinals are showing their true colors.

Jul 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals managed to salvage a game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, but they still lost their most recent series. Now, they are trending downward as the trade deadline approaches.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the struggles feel all too familiar for the Cardinals and that it's essentially a repeat of 2025, and perhaps he is right. The Cardinals are 2-4 to start the second half and are 10-15 in their last 25 games.

Are the #STLCards destined for the same fate as a year ago? @dgoold joined #BKandFerrario to discuss the team's recent struggles & why they feel all too familiar. pic.twitter.com/Ibj3dMMj70

— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) July 22, 2026

Once again, it appears that the Cardinals are digging their own grave with a poor start to the second half.

Cardinals repeating second-half mistakes

Jul 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As was the case in 2024 and 2025, the start of the second half seems to have the Cardinals right back where everybody expected them to be. They were as many as nine games over the .500 mark in mid-June, but are now just three games over as they return home for a crucial stretch of games that includes a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

Now, it appears obvious what they are going to do at the trade deadline, if it wasn't already. This is a team that was built to be a seller, and they have all-but confirmed that this is the direction they are going to take with their recent play.

The Cardinals have several players on expiring contracts that can be moved and one of potentially the biggest fish in the pond in All-Star closer Riley O'Brien, who is among the league leaders in saves. This season was always going to be one in which they would prioritize rebuilding over winning.

But there were many around the industry that thought St. Louis was for real after its hot start to the season. This recent stretch proves otherwise, however. The way they are playing now is an indication that they are digging their own grave, and it likely won't be long before Chaim Bloom starts shipping players out via trade and reminding fans that the focus is still on the future rather than the present.

The team still is fun and exciting in a lot of ways with all of the young talent on the roster, but the truth is that this team was always going to be seller. The Cardinals are not for real and are proving that with their current struggles, but it will be interesting to see which players Bloom trades and which ones he might keep.