The St. Louis Cardinals have lost three of their first four games since the All-Star break, adding some intrigue to what they're going to do at the trade deadline. St. Louis is still over .500 and is in the postseason hunt, but on the outside looking in. A rough week before the trade deadline could lead to the team selling off assets in an attempt to build for the future.
Veterans on expiring contracts like Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz would make sense in that regard, but Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ($) opened the door to younger players with club control getting dealt as well, including Jordan Walker.
"According to sources not with the Cardinals, there are teams wondering if the Cardinals would entertain trading younger players at positions where other starters have emerged. Two examples would be Jordan Walker or Nolan Gorman," Goold wrote.
The Cardinals likely aren't going to be shopping Walker (or Gorman) ahead of the deadline, but Walker wasn't listed as a possible trade candidate by accident. It sounds as if teams are wondering if St. Louis would be willing to part with him, and if we're being honest, they should strongly consider it.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Cardinals should strongly consider trading Jordan Walker
I understand why Cardinals fans might not agree. Walker, not too long ago, was considered one of the top prospects in the sport, and he had a mostly solid rookie year. However, he had a miserable 2024 and has only taken a step back in 2025, even struggling to stay in the Cardinals' lineup consistently.
Walker is in right field on most nights, and he's started all five games he's been able to since returning off the IL (possibly as an audition for other teams), but he's had his share of games on the bench this season. If the Cardinals (understandably) are unwilling to play him every day, why not trade him if they can get an intriguing return?
Right now, even amid his struggles, Walker should still have value. He hasn't done much at the MLB level, but, again, he was such a highly touted prospect. Teams, whether right or wrong, will think that a change of scenery can help unlock at least some of his potential. The Cardinals should be leery of that, but should also wonder whether Walker will ever get it going in St. Louis. I mean, he's had parts of three seasons to show he belongs in part of the organization's future plans, and he has done the opposite.
I'm not saying the Cardinals should just dump Walker at all. I still believe that he can thrive, even in St. Louis. What I am saying, though, is that if the Cardinals have a team very interested in acquiring him and willing to offer something enticing, John Mozeliak ought to consider it.
It seems unthinkable to trade Walker when his value has never been lower, but if you really think about it, his value might never get higher beyond this point than it is right now, especially if the Cardinals are uncommitted to him. Trading him now while they still can get something enticing in return might be worth more than keeping him around.