The St. Louis Cardinals have likely done enough this season to quiet trade speculation for the time being.
That doesn’t mean the Cardinals should start dealing away top prospects in pursuit of a superstar. Instead, the focus should remain on evaluating what this young roster is capable of accomplishing. Up to this point, the youthful Cardinals squad has emerged as one of baseball’s stronger teams, posting a better record than clubs such as the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers, among others.
If this young group can continue its success and make a playoff push later in the season, it would be an incredible development. Still, there’s no need for the Cardinals to aggressively chase major trades right now. If they maintain their current pace, the smarter move would be to keep their core intact, add some bullpen depth, and build from there. Rather than pursuing a blockbuster, a more practical option could be targeting someone like Bryan King from the Houston Astros.
Cardinals-Astros Bryan King Mock Trade
Cardinals Receive: LHP Bryan King
Astros Receive: LHP Brycen Mautz (Cardinals’ No. 20 prospect), RHP Chen-Wei Lin (Cardinals’ No. 24 prospect)
Breakdown: The Cardinals could use another lefty reliever and King has been solid so far this season. He has appeared in 14 games so far this season and has a 3.24 ERA. In 2025, he had a 2.78 ERA in 68 total appearances. In 2024, he had a 2.39 ERA in 28 outings. For the Cardinals, they could use that type of production. Plus, he’s under team control through the 2030 season.
In exchange, the Astros would get two inexpensive pitching prospects with upside. Mautz has a 2.97 ERA in seven starts down with Triple-A Memphis. Wei Lin has a 3.97 ERA in six total appearances down in Double-A Springfield. The Astros have the worst pitching in baseball. In this scenario, they would add two guys who could help the club in the majors in the not-so-distant future while giving up a hurler in the game’s most volatile position.
The bullpen is always volatile. This season has been a clear step back from King’s first two seasons. What if things get worse for him? Maybe it would make sense to cash in now and the Cardinals are in need of a lefty reliever with team control.
