The Biggest Need The Cardinals Must Address Before The Deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals have some tough roster decisions to make with the impending trade deadline only a week away.

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals' success this season has been one of the biggest surprises in the league, but the team seems to be falling further out of contention with each passing day.

St. Louis held the final wild-card playoff spot after a win out of the All-Star break, but has followed that up with seven losses in the team's last nine games. As losses continue piling up in the second half of the season, St. Louis has begun crashing down in the power rankings all the way to No. 14.

"The Cardinals look to be running out of gas, if not already out of it," MLB.com's Will Leitch wrote on Sunday. "As frustrating as it was to see their bullpen blow leads twice against the Reds this weekend, the issue remains the offense, which has been one of the worst in baseball in July. The listless NL Wild Card race is keeping them afloat, but they don’t exactly have the look of a team that’s pushing all that hard to remain in it. The goal remains the future."

St. Louis' offense has been struggling

Jun 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during the seventh inning of a between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the trade deadline only a week away, the Cardinals have a perfect opportunity to retool their roster, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will. St. Louis made its first trade ahead of the deadline, dealing Scott Blewett to the Athletics for cash considerations. As the Cardinals' slide continues, one thing has become clear: the offense needs improvement.

"Bottom line: The Cardinals have to get more production from their offense if they are going to keep their surprise on-field success rolling the rest of the season," MLB.com's Josh Jacobs wrote on Monday. "The Cardinals’ offense is clearly capable of shifting to a higher gear, but it hasn't found a way to do so consistently. Ultimately, their bats will dictate how far they go the rest of the way."

The Cardinals have ranked in the bottom third of the league in runs scored and last in batting average (.204), on-base percentage (.273) and slugging percentage (.309) since their hot start in the first couple of days of July. If St. Louis wants to bounce back and avoid selling again this season, the team needs to prioritize improving the offense.

The Cardinals were ready to be in a rebuild this season, so their unexpected success should not cause the team to overreact and make a massive move that would deplete their farm system. They could still find some quality players or buy-low options to improve their roster moving forward.