The St. Louis Cardinals were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of the All-Star break in a battle between two NL teams deciding whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline. Perhaps both teams found their answer in that series. Now only two games above .500 and with an expensive roster that feels ill-prepared for a deep run, the Cardinals are positioning themselves as deadline sellers.
John Mozeliak relayed as much to reporters on Monday afternoon. He said their recent struggles are "shaping deadline thinking," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and that more teams are calling about the Cards' upcoming free agents.
John Mozeliak held court in Coors Field dugout and said this past weekend's results in Arizona and drop in standings is already shaping deadline thinking. More teams reached out to #stlcards on their pending free agents (Helsley, for example) and future is on their mind.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 21, 2025
Mozeliak also said he would gauge the wishes of Cardinals veterans with no-trade clauses, which includes Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas. While those three vets feel overwhelmingly likely to stay in St. Louis past July 31, the following players do not have a no-trade clause and are basically halfway out the door already.
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3. RP Steven Matz
Steven Matz is in the final season of his four-year, $44 million contract. He once signed in St. Louis with designs on starting, which he did on and off for a while. But eventually, after an up-and-down career in the rotation, Matz transitioned to full-time bullpen duties for St. Louis. He has found more success in that capacity, especially this season.
Through 29 appearances and 52.0 innings, Matz has a 3.29 ERA and a career-best 1.14 WHIP. He doesn't give up walks and he pitches effectively to contact with a heavy diet of sinkers, as well as a useful curve and changeup. Matz's $12.5 million salary this season is a bit rich, but without long-term strings attached, a team looking for a dependable middle relief option, with the potential to stretch out and start in a pinch, should take interest.
Of all the potential Cardinals trade candidates, Matz might rank at the tippity-top of the list in terms of probability. The Cardinals can give his reps to younger arms while recouping assets for a contract that did not always reflect well on the front office.
2. SP Erick Fedde
Erick Fedde's value is in the toilet, so it's unclear how much value the Cardinals can actually get for him. But, on an expiring $7.5 million contract, Fedde at least offers an element of durability that deadline buyers might appreciate. He has not missed a start all season and St. Louis has committed to doing whatever it takes to raise Fedde's trade value, even if there are better options in-house.
Last season, in his return to MLB from the KBO in South Korea, Fedde pitched quite well. He put up a 3.30 ERA across 31 starts and arrived in St. Louis at the trade deadline as part of a vain postseason push. Now, the tables have turned and Fedde is back on the chopping block, although this time the production is less impressive. He's sitting at a 4.83 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, notching only 58 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched.
Fedde is getting knocked around a lot. Whereas last season he was able to pitch to soft contact and command the zone, Fedde is coughing up walks at an alarming rate in 2025 and balls are leaving the bat at extreme velocities. No team should view Fedde as any sort of solution ahead of the playoffs, but as a depth piece for a contender steeped in injuries, perhaps St. Louis can return some value.
1. Ryan Helsley, relief pitcher
Ryan Helsley, 31, is clearly St. Louis' most valuable trade bait right now. The veteran reliever is finally slated to hit free agency this winter, and while the Cardinals are more than capable of re-signing him, incoming president Chaim Bloom seems destined to pivot in a new direction. Helsley's production has plateaued just enough to think his days as a perennial All-Star candidate are over. Or at least numbered. Now is the right time for St. Louis to pull the plug and get (significant) value back.
Helsley finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting last season. He's not operating quite on that level in 2025, but he's still one of the best relief arms expected to become available over the next week and change. Through 34 appearances and 34.0 innings this season, Helsley has a 3.18 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 37 strikeouts.
That WHIP is a bit unnerving and Helsley's hard contact is way up this season (44.3 percent compared to 35.4 percent in 2024), but he's still missing bats with that nasty fastball-slider combo, touching triple digits with his best heat. Helsley has a proven quality to him; we know he can dominate late in games and perform in October. If the Cards are tearing it down, Helsley will most easily kickstart the next generation with a hearty return of prospects.