Cardinals Should Take Lance Lynn's Trade Deadline Advice to Heart

The Cardinals have a decision to make at the trade deadline.

Sep 17, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) reacts after inning ending double play against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to find ways to win in 2026. After falling behind early against the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, they battled back and won 2-1 to take the series opener.

This season was meant to be one in which the Cardinals were rebuilding, and while that is still technically the case, they certainly aren't playing like a rebuilding club. Still, it remains to be seen what they will do later this season when the trade deadline comes around.

The Cardinals have a lot of pieces on the roster that other contending teams may want. Former World Series champion Lance Lynn discussed what he thinks the Cardinals should do and what his approach to the trade deadline would be.

Lance Lynn urges Cardinals to stay the course

May 3, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

"If we're not going to go in, then stay the course," Lynn said. "If you are not going to go for it, then the one-year guys, you flip them and get what you can for them.

"I don't think (Chaim Bloom) is going to sell the farm to get what you need to be a legit World Series contender, so you have to stay the course and you have to flip the guys who you're planning on flipping, especially if you have value that could help you get the things you need for the future."

The Cardinals have a decision to make at the trade deadline. If they don't plan on pushing the chips for a playoff push in 2026, then Lynn's advice needs to be taken to heart.

Chaim Bloom has said that he does not plan on deviating from the current plans to build for the future, so in that case, it makes more sense for the Cardinals to not go all in on trying to contend this season.

That means the best course of action is for them to either hold firm or sell pieces to contending teams and get what they need for the future. They need to remain focused on the task at hand and stick to the plan. It's still going to take a while before they get back to being a powerhouse again.

They don't have to completely tear down the roster like they did in the offseason with the four trades they made, but this is not the year for them to go all in and build the best possible ballclub for the short term.