Cardinals Have Three Key Trade Chips if 2026 Goes South

Where will the Cardinals be in a few months?

Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are 3-2 through their first five games of the 2026 season. The team tore down its roster last offseason and traded all of their high priced veterans.

Gone are Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado. Now, the focus is on the future for a young Cardinals team.

The expectation is that the Cardinals will fall out of postseason contention before the trade deadline. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed several trade chips leading up to the deadline, and three of them were Cardinals. The list includes right-hander Dustin May, outfielder Lars Nootbaar and left-hander JoJo Romero.

Cardinals have three big trade chips

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

May made his Cardinals debut on Sunday and allowed six runs over four innings, so he will look to bounce back in his next start. After the trade of Gray, St. Louis gave May a one-year, $12.5 million contract with a mutual option for 2027.

He and Romero are both pitchers with expiring contracts, so if St. Louis does fall out of contention, they could be strong trade candidates and bring back some good prospects for the future.

Nootbaar still has two years of club control left, but he is coming off double heel surgery in the offseason. He is currently on the 60-day injured list and may not be back until at least June, which could pose a problem for the Cardinals.

But if he comes back healthy and returns to his old form at the plate, he could be a strong trade candidate that could also bring back something of value for St. Louis. The Cardinals are expected to be sellers at the deadline at this point, but a lot depends on where they stand leading up to the deadline.

Assuming the Cardinals are out of contention, all three players make sense as trade candidates. If they continue to play well however, it might make sense for them to hold onto these players and potentially add a piece or two.

But the Cardinals could do well for all three players depending on how the 2026 season goes. If it goes south, it would be hard to imagine St. Louis holding onto any of them.

May was essentially signed as a bounceback candidate that can be flipped at the deadline for prospects. Any player on an expiring contract makes sense to potentially be moved. We'll see where the Cardinals stand later this season.