Cardinals Must Avoid Making This Mistake at Trade Deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals have a decision to make, but must avoid this one mistake.

Mar 6, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hat and gloves lay in the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are in an unexpected position this season. At 47-41, they entered Tuesday's action just a half-game back of the third National League wild card spot.

They made a lot of trades in the offseason to kick off a rebuild, but there is much work still to be done. The trade deadline is less than a month away, and they have some choices to make as the deadline nears.

They could buy or sell, but Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that there is one path they must avoid taking at the deadline, as it would not lead to anything fruitful.

Cardinals must avoid this path at trade deadline

Jun 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) throws in relief against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Standing pat is the best way to assure a stagnant outcome – and not a favorable one," Goold said in his weekly Cardinals chat.

"Standing pat would mean not building upon something this season or building toward something in the coming years. Standing pat is essentially what got the Cardinals in this spot. Buy. Sell. Do Both. Get creative."

While standing pat might seem like the best way to stick with the plan, Goold is correct that it wouldn't lead to anything fruitful. The Cardinals left their roster alone for the vast majority of the 2024-25 offseason. They still hadn't picked a lane, and that is what led them to have to rebuild in the first place.

So, one way or another, the Cardinals are going to have to do something at the deadline. Goold did propose an interesting idea though. The Cardinals could potentially buy and sell at the same time.

This would allow them to have one eye on the present and one eye on the future. They could improve this season but also set themselves up well for the next couple of years. That would be better than simply doing nothing.

The Cardinals must also be sure to stick with their plan though. They are still rebuilding and should stay focused on that plan in order to emerge as a legitimate contender in a few years. They are still potentially a few years away from being a true contender, so it would make sense to do some selling.

But they will be an interesting team to follow at the trade deadline. There are a lot of different directions they could go in. But Goold made clear that standing pat is not an option.