The surging St. Louis Cardinals are one of the biggest surprises in the MLB this year. Based on their offseason trades of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado, most preseason predictions ranked the Cardinals among the bottom quarter of the league. Fans assumed that this would be a rebuilding year for the NL Central team, but they have not given up on their position as one of the winningest teams since 2000 so easily.
The Cardinals have wildly outperformed expectations and are now in second place in what is considered one of the best divisions in baseball. Still, they definitely have some glaring holes to address if they want to play deep into October.
As a team, the Cardinals rank near the league average in ERA, and 27 of their 66 games played have been decided by one or two runs. Fortunately for the Cardinals, they have won most of those close games; however, to establish themselves as a true contender, they need to win more games decisively.
So, what moves can the Cardinals make to get there?
Which Players Could the Cardinals Trade to Improve Pitching?
Lars Nootbaar
Many major sports outlets expect a trade in which the Cardinals ship away fan-favorite center fielder Lars Nootbaar. The 28-year-old has played his entire six-year career with the Cardinals and only has one year left on his contract. Due to injury, he has played only six games this season, and the Cardinals have performed just as well without him as they did with him last year.
The Cardinals could create a package centered around Nootbaar and Reliever of the Year candidate Riley O’Brien to acquire Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers, who are in desperate need of additional hitting and bullpen help and have reportedly been willing to listen to offers for the left-hander. Although shipping off O’Brien would probably be surprising to most Cardinals fans, as he has been one of the top closers in MLB this year, gaining a true ace starter would be much more valuable for the Cardinals given the state of their rotation.
Another place the Cardinals could send Nootbaar would be to the Chicago White Sox. Although the White Sox have been extremely hot lately, they have done so on the back of their pitchers. They are in extreme need of consistent batters, as they only have one everyday player with a batting average over .250. In contrast, the Cardinals need solid pitching to balance out their adept hitting. So, a trade based around Nootbaar for solid White Sox starter Sean Burke would ultimately benefit both sides.
Masyn Winn
Although Masyn Winn has been a solid player for the Cardinals for the past four years, even winning the Gold Glove last year, his performance hasn’t been up to his standards for this season. Still, he remains a talented young shortstop whose defensive value and potential could appeal to teams in need of help at the position.
One of those teams could be the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox’s current everyday shortstop is Trevor Story, who has fallen far from his MVP candidate years with the Rockies, but has been dealing with an injury and is currently on the 60-day IL. With a batting average hovering just around .200 this season, the Red Sox are hoping to replace him with any shortstop they can find.
A package centering around Masyn Winn could entice the Red Sox to send two strong relievers in Jovani Moran and Garrett Whitlock, a deal that would help the Cardinals’ struggling bullpen.
Should the Cardinals Rock the Boat?
The Cardinals have been a solid team throughout the 2026 season so far, but if they reach the playoffs, many fans and analysts would likely view them as a Cinderella team. The trades listed above could significantly improve the Cardinals’ chances of getting there and turn them into real contenders rather than pretenders.
On paper, the deals make sense as the stats line up with what the teams need. In reality, these midseason trades can sometimes throw off the team’s chemistry and rhythm and bring a soaring team back down to earth. So, for the Cardinals, are these trades worth that risk of a potential deep playoff run this year, or is it best to allow the young, budding team to develop on its own?
Leave a comment