The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises this season, currently sitting second in the NL Central while occupying one of the National League’s three Wild Card positions. When the organization announced that Chaim Bloom would eventually replace John Mozeliak, many expected the club to enter a transitional phase beginning in 2026 and beyond. The assumption was that Bloom would reshape the roster in his own vision, potentially initiating a significant rebuild from the ground up.
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 to make trade offer for Giants starting pitcher
If there’s one area where the Cardinals could use an upgrade, it’s the starting rotation. St. Louis starters have posted a 4.46 ERA this season, a figure that may not be strong enough to support a deep postseason run. While Matthew Liberatore and Dustin May have shown flashes, relying heavily on them in October could be risky.
For that reason, acquiring a proven veteran such as Robbie Ray could significantly boost the Cardinals’ playoff outlook. Adding an experienced arm would not only strengthen the rotation for a potential postseason push this year but also provide valuable stability as the club’s young core continues to develop heading into 2026.
That said, Ray has struggled recently. In three of his last four starts, he has allowed at least three runs, including a rough outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 18 when he surrendered nine earned runs. Despite those recent setbacks, his track record and upside could still make him an attractive trade target for St. Louis.
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 likely have little hesitation in making this deal. It has been a disappointing season in San Francisco, with Buster Posey’s leadership experiment alongside Tony Vitello failing to produce the desired results. As a result, the Giants find themselves near the bottom of the NL West standings.
FanSided insider Robert Murray has suggested that San Francisco should seriously consider becoming sellers at the trade deadline and moving some of its established major-league talent. If the organization chooses that path, Robbie Ray would be a logical place to start. The veteran left-hander is in the final season of his five-year, $115 million contract, making him an attractive trade candidate for contenders seeking rotation help.
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.
