The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of Major League Baseball’s biggest surprises this season. They currently hold the third National League wild card spot after series wins over the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.
The team was expected to rebuild this year after a lot of trades in the offseason. Gone are their name-brand players, and the roster has a much younger feel to it. But that has worked out just fine for the Cardinals so far.
The trade deadline is going to be an interesting time for the Cardinals as they try to stay focused on the future. But because they are winning, we might see them make a few upgrades for the present.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes that San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray is their best potential trade target.
“The Cardinals have been the NL’s biggest surprise, and they believe that their biggest need is a starting pitcher. Without giving up any of their very top prospects, their most realistic trade targets are a reunion with Sonny Gray or acquiring Robbie Ray,” Bowden wrote.
Ray’s Fit With Cardinals
The Cardinals aren’t going to give up top prospects to get a deal done just to contend in 2026. But they can still make upgrades. Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young award winner, is 8-7 with a 3.45 ERA in 17 starts and one relief appearance for the Giants this year. The two-time All-Star has also pitched 101 2/3 innings this year.
He is in the final year of his contract, so it shouldn’t take too much to get him, especially considering that he is now more of a back end starting pitcher. It might be similar to how St. Louis acquired Erick Fedde at the 2024 trade deadline, though they would likely hope for some better results out of this potential deal.
Ray is 34 years old and is still a solid innings eater for a starting rotation. He could give the Cardinals a better chance to hold on in the wild card race and get to the postseason. He is also somebody that can be a veteran leader in a relatively young clubhouse, so the fit wouldn’t be bad at all.
The Cardinals could use that in their clubhouse and in their starting rotation, and it should be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom decides to do in the coming weeks as the trade deadline is now less than a month away.
The Holdup
Of course, there is one thing that could hold this up. Owner and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. recently stated that while they plan to be active at the deadline, they don’t plan on trading for rentals.
“When the Trading Deadline comes up, teams have a tendency to [think] ‘Well, if I get one more guy, I’ll give them two of my draft choices, then I can make the playoffs.’ That’s kind of not our model,” DeWitt said last month.
“We’ll obviously engage at the Deadline, but it will not be for a two-month hopeful. It will be a good reason to make the deal, regardless of where we happen to be.”
Ray is exactly that, with his contract expiring at the end of the season. If the Cardinals are going to buy, it might make more sense to find somebody who has a few years of club control left.
If they can’t find that on the buyer’s market, then selling is likely the best path, and they can see if they are able to bring back some controllable pitching prospects that are close to major league ready.
Cardinals ‘Best Fit’ at Trade Deadline Could Be Giants’ Former Cy Young