MLB Trade Big Board: 3 Players St. Louis Cardinals Could Trade in 2026

The Cardinals are in the middle of a rebuild, so it wouldn't be shocking to see them make more trades.

Apr 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) pitches in relief in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a rebuild right now, and they've gotten off to quite a hot start on the rebuilding front. Jordan Walker is hitting the ball as well as anybody in baseball, which is huge considering some fans wanted him traded. JJ Wetherholt has been as advertised, getting off to a solid start to his MLB career, though his future is much brighter than the present day.

The Cardinals have the young pieces to build around. But they're not built to win right now. They need to continue their rebuild, which means continuing to trade away the veteran pieces in an attempt to get ever younger and more promising.

Who could the Cardinals look to trade this year? Who could be on the trade block?

LHP JoJo Romero

Apr 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Pitcher JoJo Romero has been mentioned as a trade candidate for the last year or so, but he hasn't been moved yet because he was much more controllable than the relievers the Cardinals traded last season. Romero's contract runs out after this season, so he's the clear top trade candidate in St. Louis. Almost every contending team is going to need left-handed pitching in the bullpen, so the Cardinals should be able to generate quite a bidding war for the veteran reliever, especially considering how well he's pitched this season (10 1/3 IP, 0 ER).

RHP Riley O'Brien

Apr 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) tosses the ball towards first base for the final out to defeat the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Cardinals could also look to trade Riley O'Brien, who's similar to Romero because his value is at its peak right now, but different because he has a lot more team control left. Still, the Cardinals need to add more impact players, and the unfortunate thing for O'Brien's time in St. Louis is that a talented middle reliever isn't exactly an impact player for a rebuilding team. O'Brien would be a very valuable piece in a contending bullpen, but for the Cardinals, it would make the most sense to trade him at his peak value.

OF Lars Nootbaar

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a one run single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Cardinals have reportedly been open to trading Lars Nootbaar for over a year, but after he underwent double heel surgery in the offseason, his trade stock plummeted. If he can come back strong from his injury, he's the perfect trade candidate. There are plenty of teams around the league that could use an outfielder with the upside that Nootbaar brings. As long as his performance isn't impacted by the injury, he should be on the trade block when he returns.