Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Undergo 'Busy Trade Deadline' With Hazy Future Looming

St. Louis is overdue for some much-needed changes
Nate Hagerty|
Mar 27, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view as fans attend a rally before Opening Day game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Mar 27, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view as fans attend a rally before Opening Day game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals' 2025 season is underway, so experts and insiders are already predicting how the franchise will approach this summer's trade deadline.

St. Louis is stuck in a transitional period after enduring the quietest offseason of any big-league franchise this winter. During this period, the Cardinals are supposed to be rebuilding but are left with several remaining veterans whose expensive contracts have delayed the club's reset plans.

Fortunately, St. Louis has this summer's trade deadline to fall back on if the Cardinals' front office plans on staying committed to an organizational rebuild.

"One-Sentence Outlook: The Cardinals failed to get younger during the offseason, so expect a busy trade deadline as they again try to offload veterans and start to reshape the roster for future contention," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote Wednesday when discussing the Cardinals' potential plans for the 2025 season.

It's no secret that the Cardinals failed miserably to accomplish their top offseason priority -- trading 10-time Gold Glove defender Nolan Arenado in hopes of eliminating from payroll a significant portion of the three years and $64 million remaining on his contract with St. Louis.

Not only were the Cardinals unsuccessful in parting ways with Arenado this winter but they also neglected to aggressively pursue trades for several valuable assets, such as right-handed pitchers Erick Fedde and Ryan Helsley.

Fedde and Helsley should've been dealt, as both will become free agents after this season ends. The Cardinals' best chance at maximizing the veteran hurlers' trade values would've been over the winter but now St. Louis is left with this summer as their final hope at getting a return from either RHP.

Other Cardinals players who could be dealt this summer include two-time All-Star Miles Mikolas, left-handed pitcher Steven Matz, and ace Sonny Gray -- if he waives his full no-trade clause.

The Cardinals should be motivated to part ways with several assets this summer, especially if they aren't competitive at the trade deadline. If not, St. Louis should abandon the notion that it's resetting and return to making decisions to bolster the big-league roster.

More MLB: Promising Report Implies Cardinals Star Nolan Arenado Could Be Due For Monstrous Year

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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