The St. Louis Cardinals were as active as any team on the trade market this offseason, shipping out veterans Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray for prospects. By making these moves, the Cardinals essentially punted on 2026 (and potentially 2027) in an attempt to build what they hope to be a sustained winner in 2028 and beyond, led by JJ Wetherholt and other young players.
With that in mind, as much as Cardinals fans probably don't want to hear this, more moves are coming. More veterans will get traded for prospects by this year's deadline, assuming they perform as expected. Here are some players who fit the bill.
Cardinals veterans who are almost certain to be traded
LHP JoJo Romero
It was honestly a bit surprising that the Cardinals didn't trade JoJo Romero in the offseason when they sold their best players, but I don't necessarily blame them when relievers get traded for ridiculous hauls at every trade deadline. With that being said, given the fact that Romero is on the final year of his club control, the Cardinals will almost certainly trade him barring an unlikely extension.
Romero has quietly developed from a player who was acquired for just Edmundo Sosa to one of the most important relievers the Cardinals have had the past few years. The southpaw has a 3.00 ERA in 172 appearances across parts of four seasons with St. Louis, and just had his best season in 2025, as his 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances would indicate.
Romero is particularly effective against lefties, holding them to a .532 OPS in 2025, and virtually any team would be able to take on the remainder of his $4.26 million salary. Romero would fit in a lot of bullpens and could fetch St. Louis a nice return.
RHP Dustin May
The Cardinals were quiet in free agency but not silent, as evidenced by their Dustin May signing. St. Louis inked the right-hander to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with a $12.5 million mutual option that's unlikely to be picked up by one of the sides. This was a low-risk, high-reward pickup, and one that, if May pitches as he's capable, could net them a nice prospect haul.
May has had his ups and downs, both health and performance-wise, but there's no disputing that he has a lot of talent. He throws incredibly hard and when he's right, generates a ton of ground balls. He could be in for a big year, with a mostly stout defensive infield behind him, particularly up the middle.
If May pitches well, the Cardinals could get a nice return. If he doesn't, he'd probably still have value since he isn't making a ton of money and throws hard. I mean, he didn't pitch well last year and was traded for a pretty good prospect, James Tibbs III. Either way, it feels like since May signed a one-year deal and St. Louis will likely be uncompetitive, his Cardinals tenure will be fairly short-lived.
Cardinals who will get traded if they can gain any value
RHP Ryne Stanek
Ryne Stanek should be a lot better than he is. He averaged 98.6 mph with his fastball in 2025, good for the 97th percentile according to Baseball Savant, and his slider generated a strong 44.7 percent whiff rate, he posted a 5.30 ERA in 65 appearances. It was surprising Stanek wasn't DFA'd at points of the year.
The right-hander signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with a $3.5 million club option. If Stanek pitches remotely well, the deal is an absolute steal, and since he has a club option, the Cardinals could get more than you might think for him at the deadline. If he struggles, the Cardinals would have a hard time trading him, especially since he's coming off such a down year.
It goes without saying that the 34-year-old reliever is not part of the long-term plans in St. Louis. If he becomes tradable, he will almost certainly be dealt.
INF Ramon Urias
Ramon Urias didn't sign with a team until he inked a one-year, $2 million pact with the Cardinals right as spring training was getting underway. The 31-year-old didn't have much of a market, and it isn't hard to see why — his .675 OPS in 2025 was a career worst, and he's never offered much offensive upside.
Still, his down year didn't stop the Baltimore Orioles from being able to trade him at the 2025 trade deadline, so who's to say he can't get traded again? He'll probably play predominantly against left-handed pitchers, but his .719 OPS against southpaws isn't bad at all.
Urias as a depth infielder can provide some value for teams looking for serviceable options at the deadline. He's going to have to play well to warrant trade consideration, though.
Players the Cardinals will consider selling high on
OF Lars Nootbaar
Okay, Lars Nootbaar is technically on the IL, but he, obviously, would've made the team if he were healthy. His heel injury, which led to the Cardinals placing him on the 60-day IL, certainly impacts his trade value, but he should be back sometime in June, and once he does return, he'd immediately become an intriguing trade asset.
Nootbaar, a solid starting outfielder, is under control through 2027, meaning the Cardinals don't have to trade him like they will have to trade their expiring contracts above. However, if they believe he isn't part of their long-term future, there won't be a better time to trade him than when he returns from the IL.
Now, the Cardinals should not trade Nootbaar just to give him away, but given his lack of club control, if the Cardinals get a good offer for him, they'll consider it long and hard.
1B/OF Alec Burleson
If you don't consider Nootbaar the best position player on the Cardinals, you probably believe Alec Burleson is. Burleson, like Nootbaar, doesn't get much outside recognition, but he's a very steady hitter. He's coming off a career year, which saw him slash .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI, and will hit in the middle of the Cardinals order once again in 2026. He's a good player, and he's someone St. Louis could easily opt to build around.
With that being said, Burleson is in his first year of arbitration and is under control through 2028. As is the case with Nootbaar, they don't have to trade him now, but what if he has a massive first half? Teams will undoubtedly call, and is there a better time to sell a player than when he'd come with multiple years of cheap club control?
Of course, the added control makes him valuable to St. Louis, but it's entirely possible they'll get an offer they can't turn down.
3B/2B Nolan Gorman
Nolan Gorman is getting what could be his final shot at consistent playing time. He's expected to be the Cardinals' regular third baseman, at least against right-handed pitchers, and it should be fascinating to see how he does. Gorman, once a top prospect, hit 27 home runs in 2023, but has hit just 33 in the last two years combined, to go along with a .669 OPS. Strikeouts have been a major issue.
Gorman did have a nice spring training, though, in which he cut the strikeouts down and had a .934 OPS. Spring training statistics should always been taken with a grain of salt, but what if he's able to put it all together?
Some might hope the Cardinals would then keep Gorman to build around him, but others might expect the Cardinals to sell high on a notoriously streaky hitter. A bad first half would result in Gorman not getting much interest and potentially losing his starting job. A strong start to his season could revive his career and make Gorman, a talented 25-year-old with two more years of club control after this one, an enticing trade candidate.
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