Cardinals trade deadline could turn from hold to sell-off
St. Louis is 53-53 after a July slide, and CBS Sports says Dustin May, Lars Nootbaar and Riley O'Brien could shape its deadline.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
4 min read
The Cardinals trade deadline question has changed fast: after spending much of the season as surprise contenders, St. Louis has slipped to 53-53 with a minus-5 run differential, according to CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry.
The Aug. 3 MLB deadline now finds first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom weighing how far to sell. CBS Sports reported that the Cardinals are 3-8 in the second half, 9-15 in July and 13-21 since June 17.
Monday’s home loss to the Cubs put St. Louis at .500 for the first time since April 13, when the club was 8-8, Perry noted. The Cardinals still have a path in the National League race, but CBS Sports framed that as partly a product of the weak chase for the league’s third wild-card spot.
Will the Cardinals sell at the trade deadline?
CBS Sports says the question is likely less about whether St. Louis sells and more about the size of the sale. A lighter version would center on pending free agents, while a deeper move would involve players who remain under team control beyond 2026.
The Cardinals’ season began with lowered expectations after offseason trades involving veterans Brendon Donovan, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado, according to CBS Sports. Instead, a younger roster kept the club relevant longer than expected.
Dustin May looks like the obvious trade chip
Right-hander Dustin May is the name CBS Sports identified as the central piece in a basic sell. His surface numbers are modest, with a 4.59 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 104 innings, 33 walks and 103 strikeouts.
Perry pointed to the underlying numbers as the real hook for buyers. May has a 3.16 FIP through 20 starts, a mark CBS Sports said would rank 10th in MLB if he had enough innings to qualify, and he was two innings short at the time of publication.
May has also added 1.5 mph to his average fastball compared with last season, expanded his pitch mix with the Cardinals and has four pitches rated above average by Stuff+, according to CBS Sports. He has stayed off the injured list this year and is owed only the remainder of a $12 million salary for 2026, with Perry describing his 2027 mutual option as essentially irrelevant.
Relievers JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek are also walk-year names to watch. CBS Sports reported that Romero is on the injured list with appendicitis, owns a 142 ERA+ over the past three seasons and has held left-handed hitters to a .587 OPS in his career. Stanek’s overall 2026 numbers have lagged, but Perry wrote that he has improved lately, still throws one of the game’s harder fastballs and has a $6 million club option for 2027.
Lars Nootbaar and Riley O'Brien would signal a bigger move
A deeper sell would mean dealing players with years of club control left. CBS Sports put outfielder Lars Nootbaar near the top of that group.
Nootbaar, who turns 29 in September, missed much of the season after surgery on both heels. Since returning, Perry wrote, he has looked more like his earlier version by getting on base, producing strong contact indicators and handling all three outfield spots. He has two full seasons of control before free agency.
St. Louis also has prospect Joshua Báez waiting. CBS Sports reported that Báez, 23, has 31 home runs in 90 Triple-A games and leads the minors by a wide margin.
All-Star closer Riley O’Brien is another controllable player who could draw interest. CBS Sports listed him with a 3.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 26 saves, five blown saves and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while noting that he can touch triple digits, has a swing-and-miss sweeper and cannot reach free agency until after 2030.
The catcher group could also be part of the deadline math. Perry wrote that Pedro Pagés, Jimmy Crooks or prospect Leo Bernal could be used to ease a roster crunch, while top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez is not expected to move.
Bloom’s first Cardinals deadline now comes down to restraint or a bigger reset. CBS Sports reported that St. Louis can stick to rental pieces or use the deadline to add more talent to a rebuilt farm system.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.