Cardinals Potential Joe Ryan Trade Link is Way Off-Base

The Cardinals could use some pitching, but this idea is off base by a lot.

Jul 20, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) gets a new baseball after giving up a solo home run the Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Rhys Hoskins (not pictured) in the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to struggle in the second half. Entering Wednesday's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, the Cardinals had lost four games in a row and lost their hold on the third National League wild card spot.

Almost every aspect of the team is causing them trouble. They aren't scoring runs, their starters aren't going deep into games, and their taxed bullpen is not deep enough.

With the trade deadline coming, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed them as a possible landing spot for Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan, but that link is quite off base given where the Cardinals currently are.

Why Cardinals won't land Joe Ryan

Jul 20, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ryan has had a strong season with the Twins, going 6-6 with a 3.38 ERA in 21 starts. He has one more year of team control left after 2026.

However, the Cardinals aren't exactly in a position to part with top prospects in order to land Ryan. They still need to remain focused on their rebuild and creating a sustainable contender for the long term.

Ryan would help the rotation, but he would simply cost them too much. It's also important to remember that the Twins are very much in playoff contention. They may be four games below .500, but they are only 3 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the third American League wild card spot, so they are likely in a better position to buy than sell, especially with the American League being as weak as it is.

The Cardinals themselves are more likely to sell at this point, so there is a clear difference between what their strategy and that of the Twins could be. Ultimately, they need to focus on what is best for the future rather than the present. That is simply the reality of the situation the Cardinals find themselves in right now.

The Twins will ask for a lot in exchange for Ryan, and the only way they'll trade him is if they start to lose ground in the wild card race, and if that happens, the Cardinals likely won't be the ones to overpay for two years of Ryan.

The deadline is less than two weeks away, and it should be interesting to see what the Cardinals decide to do. Buying is likely not their best course of action given where they currently stand in the race.