Cardinals Have Tough Calls on Dustin May, Lars Nootbaar, More: Trade or Stay?

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of decisions to make in the not-so-distant future.

Jun 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) reacts after stranding a runner at third and striking out Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (not pictured) to end the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most fun and fascinating teams in Major League Baseball this season.

Before the 2026 season began, the buzz around the team was pretty much all negative. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom was praised for the club's deals as they cut ties with Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. The Cardinals got solid returns, at least on paper, but the big league roster had very low expectations around the league. They were too low from the beginning.

So, the Cardinals have been facinating to follow because they have been much better than expected and because of that, the tune around the team has shifted as well. Now, the Cardinals are talked about as a young club with big upside, whereas there were many talking about this team as the potential worst club in the National League Central before the season even began.

Clearly, that hasn't been the case as the Cardinals sit at 38-31 on the second and in second place in the division. St. Louis is 2 1/2 games in front of the Chicago Cubs, who many expected to be the top team in the division after going out and adding Alex Bregman.

With the Cardinals playing well, the trade conversations around the team have also been interesting. Before the season even began, there was noise out there where various players could go before a single pitch was even thrown. Now, it's not as simple. The expectation has been that the Cardinals will trade pieces away this summer, but there was a crack in that idea on Friday as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted that his understanding is that Bloom will not "simply ignore the standings," insinuating that the Cardinals aren't going to blow it up to blow it up.

So, with all of that being said, let's take a look at a few of the team's top trade candidates and predict if they will be on the move or stay.

Lars Nootbaar — Outfielder

Jun 12, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) celebrates his run against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

A few weeks ago, this would've been an easy one to predict, but now not as much. Nootbaar has been solid since returning from offseason heel surgery and is only going to get better. On top of this, he's a leader in the clubhouse with one more season of control left.

Prediction: Stays until the offseason. If the Cardinals were to trade Nootbaar now, that would be a hit to the clubhouse. Unless the team takes a turn for the worse, or the team gets an offer they can't refuse, they could simply just move him in the winter.

Dustin May — Starting Pitcher

Jun 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The second May signed, the conversation turned to how he would be an excellent deadline trade chip. He would be. He has a 4.21 ERA in 13 starts and has flashed the upside that everyone knew that he has.

Prediction: Stays, but it's close. May is a hard one to judge because there's no guarantee that he's back next season, so something along the lines of 55-45 that he stays, but that could change.

JoJo Romero — Reliever

Jun 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The lefty will be a free agent after the season and has a 3.94 ERA in 33 total appearances. Relievers are a luxury at the trade deadline, so his name certainly will be out there.

Prediction: Traded. Romero is a key piece of this bullpen, but if the Cardinals do want to bring some value back, he'd be an easy guy to trade because he's going to be a free agent after the season.

Riley O'Brien — Closer

Jun 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

O'Brien has been very solid for the Cardinals so far this season. He has a 3.86 ERA and 17 saves in 30 appearances. He's cooled off a bit of late, but still would be very interesting arm, if available.

Prediction: Stays, unless the Cardinals take a step back. O'Brien has four more seasons of control left. The Cardinals could easily look to flip him in the offseason. The bullpen is already a weakness. If they traded both Romero and O'Brien it would deplete it further.