Cardinals May Have a Wild Card in Trade Market with Deadline Close

The Cardinals have somebody that could shake up the deadline.

Jul 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) gives a thumbs up from the dugout prior to a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have just a few hours to spare before the trade deadline. They have still yet to make a trade, and fans might be getting restless here shortly.

The obvious trade chips are Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek, but they aren't the only pieces that could be on the move. The Cardinals are listening on anybody not named Jordan Walker or JJ Wetherholt.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network provided the latest on the Cardinals and where they stand in the trade market, and he notes that St. Louis has a bit of a wild card in first baseman Alec Burleson.

Heard this today:

Cardinals 1B/OF Alec Burleson is one of the most popular controllable bats on the trade market. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 3, 2026

Cardinals' Alec Burleson could be on the move

Jul 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) looks on after striking out against the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Burleson is considered to be a building block for the future in St. Louis. However, beggars can't be choosers, and it looks as though at the moment, the Cardinals are not getting much traction on May, Stanek or Romero, so that means they will have to get creative.

Burleson is a big piece for the Cardinals and is somebody that is popular in the clubhouse. But the Cardinals aren't going anywhere this year, and Burleson is one of many left-handed bats they have in the organization, so it might not be the worst idea to trade him.

If they do, the haul they could bring back might be quite substantial. It could land them some major league ready pitching prospects in exchange, and that could set St. Louis up well for the future.

Their window to contend is still a few years away, and they cannot simply pick and choose who they want to keep unless that pertains to Wetherholt and Walker. If they get the right offer for somebody such as Burleson, they have to at least consider it. He only has a few years left before free agency, and the Cardinals have a glut of lefty bats in the system.

Perhaps capitalizing on his value would make sense as they look towards the future and trying to create that next window of opportunity. It still is a few years away, but capitalizing on a popular trade target could get them closer to having more clarity on the future.

It will be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom is thinking with hours to go before the deadline hits. There are a lot of things for him to consider as he guides the Cardinals into a new era.