Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Tabbed Trade Deadline 'Losers' After Disastrous Week

The Cardinals didn't get better at the trade deadline...
Zach Pressnell|
Apr 9, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol makes a pitching change in the seventh inning during game against the Milwaukee Brewersat American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Apr 9, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol makes a pitching change in the seventh inning during game against the Milwaukee Brewersat American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had an exciting week leading up to the trade deadline. They opted to move three expiring relievers in a very conservative approach.

Steven Matz was traded to the Boston Red Sox while Ryan Helsley was traded to the New York Mets. Minutes before the deadline, Phil Maton was dealt to the Texas Rangers. But the returns for these players weren't great and the Cardinals got notably worse.

FanSided's Cody Williams recently called the Cardinals one of the trade deadline's biggest losers after their week of excitement.

"In a similar vein to the Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals should ultimately be ashamed of themselves," Williams wrote. "Sure, you were able to trade Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz on expiring deals, but the returns in each of those trades were a bit lackluster given the pretty lucrative reliever market.

"On that same note, the fact that the Cardinals teased tearing it down but were unable to work out deals for the likes of Nolan Arenado or Sonny Gray — not to mention botching the Erick Fedde situation — it's hard to be hopeful for this team as this deadline only confirmed that things are going to get much worse before they get better."

At the end of the day, the Cardinals are far from a World Series push. They need to make drastic moves to build a team with talent and depth. Holding onto all the controllable pieces on the roster doesn't make too much sense given how far away the Cardinals are from powerhouses like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

They made three solid moves, but the only one they truly won was the Matz trade. Helsley should have landed a lot better of a prospect haul than he did. The same can be said for Maton. With the market favoring the seller in a big way, it's hard to be happy with the Cardinals' work.

More MLB: Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis Predicted To Cut Ties With Veteran Ace

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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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