Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Phil Maton Linked To Trade To AL Powerhouse

The Cardinals will likely trade Phil Maton...
Zach Pressnell|
Jul 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Phil Maton (88) pitches in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Jul 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Phil Maton (88) pitches in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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Houston AstrosSt. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly ready to enter sell mode this year. They've struggled tremendously this month an,d it's caused them to lose momentum and fall behind in the wild card race.

Because of that, players like Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley, both expiring relievers, have found themselves on the trade block.

Redbird Rants' Brendan Strieker recently suggested that the Houston Astros could be one of the best landing spots in a trade involving Maton.

"Their bullpen consists of an elite closer (Josh Hader), a star setup man (Bryan Abreu), a trio of good lefties (Steven Okert, Bryan King, and Bennett Sousa), and one solid right-handed MRP (Shawn Dubin). Dubin has been phenomenal this season, but went down with a forearm strain on June 20th and is still on the IL.

"Phil Maton could slide in perfectly as a middle-relief pitcher and can handle the later innings on days where Hader and/or Abreu are down. Maton had two of his best seasons of his career with the Astros during their World Series run in 2022 and the following year in 2023. All of these reasons create the perfect opportunity for a reunion with one of their most reliable bullpen arms during their World Series run."

The Astros need to add another reliever, and Maton would fit them perfectly. He wouldn't cost as much as a closer like Helsley or Emmanuel Clase, but he would give them quality innings out of the bullpen.

Maton has been good for the Cardinals, but it's a move St. Louis has to make going forward. If it's interested in winning down the line, rebuilding moves like this need to happen, and they need to happen without hesitation.

More MLB: Yankees Trade? Why Cardinals Should Target Breakout Prospect In Deadline Deal

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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