Cardinals Trade Rumors: Separating Reality from Fiction at the deadline

What's real and what's not as the trade deadline approaches?

Jun 19, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) rounds second base in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are approaching the trade deadline and have some pieces they could move. Strangely, they are only 2 1/2 games back of the third and final National League wild card spot, but the Cardinals have their eye on the future.

It will be interesting to see who gets moved in the coming days and who goes where, but the Cardinals have a lot of potential trades they can make to set themselves up for the future.

However, the trade deadline is also a time where rumors run rampant, and not all of it is true. Here is what's real and what's fake about the Cardinals as the deadline near.

The idea that the Cardinals should buy is fiction

Mar 7, 2019; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom looks on before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week, Jim Bowden of The Athletic appeared on the BK & Ferrario podcast on 101 ESPN and talked about what he thinks the Cardinals should do at the deadline, and surprisingly, he called for St. Louis to be buyers.

Former MLB GM @JimBowdenGM explained on #BKandFerrario why he believes the #STLCards would be making a mistake to sell at this year's deadline. pic.twitter.com/ALulWn6alt

— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) July 29, 2026

However, this wouldn't be a good idea. The Cardinals season is coming off the rails and they are behind several teams in the wild card race even though they are within striking distance.

They are also rebuilding, and this was ultimately to be expected, so the best course of action is to sell and capitalize on some of these players while they still can. Buying would help in the short-term, but would set them back in the longer-term.

Cardinals shopping Dustin May and Ryne Stanek is reality

Jul 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that the Cardinals are shopping Dustin May and Ryne Stanek, two pitchers on expiring contracts. This makes sense, as the Cardinals are trending towards selling and would be best served doing that.

The team is also looking for "meaningful pieces", so that seems to indicate that selling is the path they've chosen. They'll go for upper-level prospects, and the best way to do that is to sell pieces that might have value.

While it remains to be seen what will happen with Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar, it appears that Stanek and May are as good as gone once the deadline passes next week.

The focus needs to be on the future, not the present, and if the Cardinals deviate from that, it could have some consequences a few years down the road. It's also what got John Mozeliak in trouble in his final years at the helm.