Cardinals Urged to Target Robbie Ray, But Should They Actually?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been the feel-good story of the 2026 Major League Baseball season and are going to continue to get more and more interesting as the trade deadline approaches in early August.

It's coming up on Aug. 3 and the Cardinals haven't been a fluke, by any means. As the Cardinals came out of the gate swinging to kick off the 2026 season, the biggest question around the club was of course whether or not they could maintain the success. They have done that, even though they lost on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are 47-40 on the season and would be in the playoffs with the No. 3 National League Wild Card spot if the season ended today. On top of this, the Cardinals kicked off a 14-game gauntlet with games against the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers on June 30 and have had success so far with series wins over the Braves and Cubs so far with four wins in six games.

The Cardinals look like the real deal. So much so to the point that The Athletic's Jim Bowden listed the Cardinals among the teams that should be looking to buy on Monday in a column featuring "trade deadline buzz" and pointed to San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray as the best fit.

"The Cardinals have been the NL’s biggest surprise, and they believe that their biggest need is a starting pitcher," Bowden wrote. "Without giving up any of their very top prospects, their most realistic trade targets are a reunion with Sonny Gray or acquiring Robbie Ray. Best fit: Robbie Ray, LHP, San Francisco Giants. Perhaps a package that includes right-hander Tanner Franklin and shortstop Yairo Padilla could get a deal done."

Should St. Louis Target Robbie Ray?

Jul 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The idea of the Cardinals bringing in a veteran, like Ray, to stabilize the rotation is a very intriguing idea. He has a 3.45 ERA in 18 total appearances this season, including 17 starts. It's important to note that Ray is a rental, which the Cardinals have seemingly insinuated that they are going to avoid. Chaim Bloom noted that the Cardinals will not be taking "shortcuts" in this reset season, so don't expect to see the Cardinals mortgage the future to help the present.

Ray is a rental, so theoretically he wouldn't be a likely option. When it comes to the package Bowden mentioned, it would be very surprising to see the Cardinals move on from Franklin, who is the team's No. 9 overall prospect. That's the type of idea that would hurt the future for the present. If there were a way to get a deal done with lower-level prospects, then it would make more sense for St. Louis.

Yairo Padilla is the team's No. 15 overall prospect and plays a position that the Cardinals are covered at for the foreseeable future at shortstop. Flipping Padilla makes much more sense than trading Franklin, especially because the Cardinals spent the offseason trying to add as many pitching prospects as possible.

So, the idea of adding Ray is fun. He's the type of veteran talent who could put the Cardinals over the top in the race for a playoff spot. But it's important to be realistic and note that if the price tag is any top prospect — especially the pitchers — then it isn't likely to happen. It's certainly going to be interesting to see how things go over the next month.

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