Two Trades That Make Too Much Sense for the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting closer to the trade deadline.

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have a clear path ahead of them with the trade deadline now just days away. Now that they are under .500, the obvious choice is for them to sell and keep their focus on building up their talent base for the future, likely 2028 at the earliest.

But that doesn't mean that they won't be aggressive looking for deals. This is this perfect time for St. Louis to be bold and find deals that make sense for the present and the future.

Here are two potential deals that almost make too much sense for the Cardinals.

Riley O'Brien to the Dodgers

Jul 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) throws in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dodgers are a team that will be looking for pitching help. They don't necessarily need to add a closer with Edwin Diaz coming back, but O'Brien could be a setup man for the two-time defending World Series champions.

As for the Cardinals, they could bolster their minor league depth with a move such as this. Left-hander Jackson Ferris could give them a starter that is close to major league ready and could be plugged in at any point down the stretch.

The Cardinals have plenty of options there, but more certainly can't hurt as they look towards strengthening their pitching pipeline for the future.

Miller is a utility infielder, but he is also a switch-hitter. There are so few left in today's game, and that is something the Cardinals have been lacking since trading Tommy Edman, so having somebody in their system that can do that would be a major plus.

Dustin May to the Brewers

Jul 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This may seem like a bit of a stretch, simply because the Cardinals and Brewers are in the same division. But unlike John Mozeliak, Chaim Bloom doesn't seem to have much of an issue trading within the same division. And in truth, the Cardinals are 14 games back of the Brewers and likely will not catch them.

Milwaukee needs a starter, and it remains to be seen if they will actually be able to land Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers probably have a better chance at doing that. But May is on an expiring contract, which makes him ideal trade candidate for St. Louis.

Coleman Crow is Milwaukee's No. 25 prospect, and he also is a major league ready starting pitcher. Adding that type of arm to the mix is what St. Louis needs to do so it has options to replace May, but also potentially even take the struggling Matthew Liberatore out of the rotation.

He is 0-1 with a 5.30 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance this season with the Brewers.