Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The St. Louis Cardinals have surprised the MLB landscape this season. At the MLB trade deadline, they could be buyers.
- Their front office now faces a critical decision about whether to add veteran help or protect young talent for the future.
- Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants could be an attractive addition to an inexperienced starting rotation.
The St. Louis Cardinals have shocked the baseball landscape so far this season, as they sit in second place in the NL Central and hold one of the three NL Wild Card spots. When the Cardinals named Chaim Bloom the successor to John Mozeliak, it was expected that St. Louis would take a step back in 2026 and the years shortly thereafter. Bloom would want to put his stamp on this team (or so we thought), and that likely meant tearing it down to the studs.
Now that we're over two months into the season, we can officially declare the Cardinals retool over! Congratulations, Chaim Bloom, for your hard and quick work. St. Louis has a roster chalk full of young talent, many of whom were acquired before Bloom even arrived. It is now his job to round this group into form, in hopes of building a perennial contender that can compete for NL Central titles. If Bloom believes the Cardinals to have a realistic shot at a playoff run in 2026, then he need not look further than the rotation in terms of where to improve the roster.
Cardinals should make this trade offer for Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray
If there's one area the Cardinals need to add, it's the starting rotation. St. Louis' rotation has a 4.46 ERA on the season. That's not good enough, and the likes of Matthew Liberatore and Dustin May will get torched in the postseason if given the opportunity to start. For the Cards' sake, trading for a proven veteran like Robbie Ray would go a long way in improving their playoff chances, and ensuring that if this young core gains postseason experience in 2026, they can make a run as well.
Ray's been downright bad in May. In three of his last four starts, Ray has given up three runs or more. That includes an outing against the Diamondbacks on May 18, in which the right-hander gave up nine earned runs.
It's not as bad as it seems, though. Ray's expected ERA isn't nearly as high as his actual mark of 4.45. And if it weren't for a couple of disastrous appearances at the end of the month, he'd have an ERA closer to 3.70. In his last outing, Ray gave up just one run and struck out six against the Rockies. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Would the Giants make this trade?
The Giants would make this trade today. It's been a brutal season by the bay, as Buster Posey's experiment with Tony Vitello has failed miserably. The Giants sit near the bottom of the NL West. FanSided's own Robert Murray believes that it's time for the Giants to consider selling more talent on their big-league roster. Why not start with Ray, who is on the final year of a five-year, $115 million contract.
In return, the Giants would receive three of the Cardinals top-30 prospects. Roby is the best of the bunch, and at 24 years old is close to big-league ready. Roby stars in the Triple-A Memphis rotation. Peete, meanwhile, is just 20 and playing in A-ball. He has a long way to go, but the Giants need to replenish the farm. Add in Molina, and San Francisco could take the quantity over quality approach, acquiring three good future big leaguers in exchange for Ray, who will likely leave in free agency this winter anyway.
Would the Cardinals make this trade?
Whether the Cardinals make this trade depends on a few factors. First, Ray needs to rebound from a tough month of May. If not, this is all a moot point, as St. Louis could acquire pitching help elsewhere. Second, does Bloom really believe this Cardinals team is ready to take the next step? If not, then why trade three prospects who could contribute to the next generation for a veteran pitcher on an expiring contract?
The price of three top-30 prospects isn't all that high, though, and the Cardinals farm system is frontloaded. St. Louis has plenty of starting pitching prospects who project to make more of an impact than Roby, who doesn't come close to sniffing MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects list.
Bloom's strategy this August ought to be simple. He can add to positions of need, and subtract from the Cardinals supposed strengths. It's why St. Louis is likely to listen on their veteran bullpen assets like JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien.
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