Cardinals Red-Hot Start Shouldn't Change Potential Trade Deadline Strategy

The Cardinals need to stick to the plan.

May 12, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have reinvigorated their fanbase with a hot start to the 2026 season. Though they're in third place in a crowded National League Central, they are only 1 1/2 games back of first and currently have control of the second NL wild card spot.

This is a team that has been able to defy their preseason expectations and perform well against some of the best teams in Major League Baseball, including the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, despite their hot start, the Cardinals have a lot of pieces on their roster that could make for interesting trade candidates such as Riley O'Brien, Dustin May and JoJo Romero. With that in mind, the Cardinals should not shift their strategy and should stick to the idea of selling at the trade deadline.

Cardinals should still sell at trade deadline

May 12, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero (59) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals are already receiving a lot of interest in those three pitchers, so it would be wise for them to keep those arms on the trade block in hopes of potentially receiving a strong return.

The Cardinals aren't in a position to be trading prospects and taking big swings for big-name players at the deadline. Instead, they should be focusing on adding prospects in trades and further strengthening their farm system.

They need more pitching depth in their system, and by trading those three pitchers, they could acquire just that at the deadline and put themselves in a good position for the future in terms of the depth that they could have.

There are a lot of things to like about how well the Cardinals have been playing this season, but Chaim Bloom needs to stick to the plan, and he has even said several times that he doesn't want to shift away from what his current goals are.

Even if the Cardinals are playing well, they need to stick to the plan. If they don't, then they could run into some trouble, just as they did in the final three years of John Mozeliak's tenure, when the strategy was constantly changing and there wasn't a clear plan.

Now, there is a clear plan, and Bloom needs to make sure to stick with it so the Cardinals can be a contending team year in and year out. Until then, selling is the best strategy for the organization.