Cardinals Are Winning and It's Forcing a Trade Deadline Reality Check

The St. Louis Cardinals have been good enough this season to potentially think about the postseason.

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to be one of the most fun teams across Major League Baseball so far in 2026.

After sweeping the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the Cardinals are now 35-28 on the season and currently hold the top National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals have a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies, who have the No. 2 NL Wild Card spot.

From Opening Day until now, on June 8, it has been the best season for the organization since 2022 when the Cardinals last won the National League Central. Plus, that season was Albert Pujols' final one and he chased — and reached — 700 homers for his career while wearing a Cardinals uniform. It's been an excellent season and now the Cardinals have 63 games under their belt and under 100 to go with 99 games left in the season.

The Cardinals have been so good that The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on "Foul Territory" on Monday that if the club is still in playoff contention around the 2026 trade deadline and president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom "justified trading for additional pieces," we could see the club add in some capacity.

Could St. Louis Actually Add A Piece?

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

"We're two months in, we're a long way into the season at this point," Rosenthal said. "We're not talking about a small sample size and the Cardinals have shown a knack for winning. They have a closer in Riley O'Brien who is doing well. They are a team that keeps seeming to find ways. Like the Cardinals, I'm not going to rule them out or anything while we still see them playing well and good for them. ...

"Chaim Bloom in his first year as president of baseball operations is going to face some interesting decisions at the deadline. I don't expect him to go all-in, but he's going to be realistic. If this team is in playoff position and they've justified trading for additional pieces, he's is going to do that."

This has been a topic of conversation for St. Louis for a while, with the Cardinals playing well. But most of the chatter has pointed to the club not adding at all. It's still important to temper expectations. Even if the trade deadline were to be tomorrow and the Cardinals had the top Wild Card spot, it would be a shock if there was any splash. If the Cardinals are going to add, maybe something around the edges could make sense, like a depth reliever, or something like that. But the fact that a prominent insider, like Rosenthal, is even talking about the possibility of adding is just a clear sign that St. Louis is trending in the right direction.