The St. Louis Cardinals were sellers at the trade deadline, shipping out Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton — all relievers on expiring contracts. They didn't really restock their farm system, though, as the returns for all three relievers were relatively light. They were listening to offers on some of their left-handed hitters, as well as controllable pitchers like JoJo Romero, but weren't blown away by any.
This coming offseason, they will need to rebuild in earnest. If anything good came out of the trade deadline, it's that they finally have fully accepted the need to do so and will stop trying to spin their words in a way that would make them seem like they're truly trying to win.
But with several veterans either tanking their own market or refusing to waive a no-trade clause, it may take trading a surprising piece to truly get that rebuild started right. Brendan Donovan might be the Cardinals' best overall player, and in an ideal world, the team would build around him. But that decision is ultimately up to future president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, and with Donovan approaching 30 years of age and likely worth a ton in a trade, it might make sense to sell high.
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Cardinals may have to trade Brendan Donovan to truly rebuild
Part of the rationale behind trading Donovan would be that top prospect J.J. Wetherholt is almost ready for the Majors. While it would be smart not to put all their eggs in one basket, Wetherholt has the potential to be a true superstar.
He'll be a candidate to take over second base for St. Louis in 2026 as they finally get their much-needed rebuild underway. But their farm system beyond him lacks top talent. Even if it's going to take a few years for the Cardinals to return to contention, they need to restock their farm system with top prospects.
The best way for them to do that may ultimately be to trade Donovan. That is going to be tough for some fans to hear, as Donovan is a favorite in St. Louis and is far and away their best player. But their window to contend is not opening in 2026. At the same time, they also have a logjam of left-handed bats and not enough pitching in the system. This could help them clear out the logjam and truly build for the future; plus, the team might not be ready to win big by the time Donovan is set to hit free agency after the 2027 season.
Bloom is going to have his work cut out for him this coming offseason, and it will certainly be interesting to see how he goes about clearing logjams and setting the Cardinals up for the future rather than the present.