Cardinals Can't Afford to Make This Mistake at Trade Deadline

The Cardinals have done well this season, but they must stay the course.

Jun 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; St. Louis Cardinals Oliver Marmol leaves after arguing with home plate umpire Adam Beck over a ABS review on a pitch to Minnesota Twins shortstop Austin Martin (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Target Field. Beck ejected Marmol on the argument. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals may finally be coming back down to earth after a hot start to the season. They still are 40-34 and lead the National League wild card race, but have lost three consecutive games.

There is a lot of speculation over what they might do at the trade deadline. That will come on August 3. Last year, the Cardinals were sellers at the deadline, sending relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton to contending clubs.

While the Cardinals have had a successful season up to this point, there is one mistake that the organization cannot afford to make at this year's deadline.

Cardinals Should Not be Buyers at Deadline

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

The Cardinals have played well, and it has led to many fans on social media clamoring for them to go all in and buy at the trade deadline. However, this is not the right approach.

The Cardinals still need to strengthen their farm system and add pitching to it. They cannot afford to give up top prospects just to go all in for 2026. That would go against everything Chaim Bloom has preached about putting the long-term goals over short-term gratification.

"There was not a point where we didn't want to win or expect to win," Bloom said last month. "We were just going to be willing to make those hard decisions to get us towards our ultimate goal and not put gratification today ahead of that. When they do tug in opposite directions, we're going to choose that ultimate goal of being in position to win this division repeatedly and being in a position to win a World Series year in and year out."

That quote alone suggests that Bloom doesn't want to deviate from the current plan. That is ultimately the right decision. The Cardinals have a lot of trade candidates that teams will show interest in, and if Bloom gets the right offer for Dustin May or Riley O'Brien, not taking it would be a mistake.

The Cardinals could always stand pat if they aren't getting good offers for their pieces but also want to remain in contention. But buying would force them to sacrifice assets for the future. They may not be too far off from contending in a few years, but they have to stick with the long-term plan.

It will be interesting to see what Bloom is thinking in the coming weeks.