Cardinals Success Shouldn't Prevent Inevitable Trade Deadline Direction

The Cardinals need to stay focused on the plan.

Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) enters a game against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals won on Wednesday night and have been much better than people expected in 2026. However, they do appear to be slipping in the standings and coming back down to earth.

This team was never expected to contend, only rebuild after an offseason in which they traded all of their star players. But their success has people around the industry expecting them to be buyers at the trade deadline, not sellers.

However, the Cardinals must remain focused on the bigger picture rather than making moves solely for the 2026 season. Their new plan appears to be working, and deviating from it would not be a good idea. Their best course of action is to sell.

Why Cardinals must stick with their plan

Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even insiders such as Jim Bowden and Jeff Passan have predicted that St. Louis will buy, with both linking them to left-hander Robbie Ray, among other starters. But it's important to remember that sometimes at the trade deadline, teams will overpay, even for rental pitching.

This might require the Cardinals to give up prospects, and that shouldn't be the plan for this season. They still need to continue building up their farm system, which is already much stronger, but still needs more depth, especially on the pitching side.

The best way to land a starter with multiple years of control that is also major league ready is to sell, as buying for one would cost them prospects.

Among their trade candidates are Dustin May, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek and even All-Star closer Riley O'Brien. O'Brien especially could get the Cardinals something good in return.

May, Romero and Stanek are all on expiring contracts and likely won't be back with St. Louis in 2027, so capitalizing on them now is good idea so they don't simply lose them for just draft pick compensation.

In reality, the Cardinals are still at least a year away from being a true contender. Even Chaim Bloom has constantly stated that he won't be chasing short-term success, but rather looking to make the Cardinals a consistent contender long-term.

As long as the Cardinals stick to their plan, they will be in good shape heading into the future, but deviating from it would not be wise. In fact, that is what got John Mozeliak in trouble in his last few years at the helm, so avoiding that mistake is paramount for Bloom.