Cardinals Riley O'Brien's Days in St. Louis Could Be Numbered

The St. Louis Cardinals closer could very well end up being on the move this summer.

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

It's going to be fascinating to see how St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom handles his first trade deadline at the helm of the organization.

The Cardinals are really giving Bloom — and the baseball world in general — something to think about with their play so far this season. The Cardinals have been awesome and are eight games above .500 at 37-29. That's a better record than teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, and the Seattle Mariners, among many others. If the Cardinals hadn't traded Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan this past offseason, this Cardinals team would be talked about as a club that needs investing, not subtracting.

But then you have to remember that the club is in the early stages of a reset. This is Bloom's first season leading the franchise, after all. He's trying to turn the Cardinals into a sustainable winner after the team had three straight tough seasons. With the Cardinals winning so much, that shouldn't mean a fire sale.

What Will St. Louis Do?

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The club also shouldn't go all in, unless they go on some heater ahead of the trade deadline. Instead, trying to toe the line between dealing a few pieces away for prospects, while trying to still maximize wins would be the best way to go. As we inch closer and closer to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, there's going to be more and more noise about who could be moved. On Friday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand shared a column with nine players who could be on the move. From St. Louis, closer Riley O'Brien was on the list.

"Riley O'Brien, RHP, Cardinals," Feinsand wrote. "A successful reliever with four years of club control would seem to be exactly the player a young team would want to hold on to, but O’Brien is already 31 years old and his value is as high as it’s ever been. St. Louis’ surprising season has the Cards in playoff position, so selling off their closer might be a difficult decision, but given that this was viewed by many as a transition year for the Cardinals, capitalizing on O’Brien’s strong performance (3.68 ERA, 17-for-21 in save opportunities) could be the right move.

"The hard-throwing O’Brien has been a ground-ball machine (93rd percentile in the league) while ranking in the 89th percentile in walk percentage."

With O'Brien, there's an argument that he shouldn't be moved because he has four seasons of team control left. Realistically, the Cardinals could be in contention by the time his contract is done. But on the other hand, O'Brien is already 31 years old. He has been incredible this season, but if the Cardinals could find a team willing to overpay because of the years of control left, St. Louis should consider a deal because of his age. Relievers are a premium at the deadline. Someone should be willing to pay up for him.