The St. Louis Cardinals sit at 34-28 and remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff berth in the competitive National League Central, currently holding a Wild Card position.
However, their success has come earlier than expected. Entering 2026, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom was not planning an aggressive, win-now approach, as the season was originally viewed as part of the club’s rebuilding process. Despite those expectations, the Cardinals have emerged as a legitimate contender.
So, what will they do at the trade deadline on August 3? USA Today’s Bob Nightengale shared that the Cardinals are expected to trade away two pitchers by the deadline later this year, one a reliever and the other a starting pitcher.
Cardinals expected to trade two pitchers
“The Cardinals, in fact, are expected to trade reliever JoJo Romero and starter Dustin May at the trade deadline, providing they slip further back in the wild-card race,” Nightengale writes.
The Cardinals are unlikely to move either May or Romero at the moment, but that could change if they begin to slide in the Wild Card race.
With both pitchers set to reach free agency after the 2026 season, St. Louis may ultimately view them as valuable trade assets. If the club falls out of serious postseason contention, dealing the pair before they depart in free agency would be a logical move to maximize their return.
May has a 4.59 ERA this season, and took a no-hitter into the seventh-inning against the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season.
He might not be as great a starter as some others available for trade, like Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta, but he’d still garner some interest.
Romero is a reliever, and a lefty too. Such pitchers always draw interest at the deadline. He has a 3.54 ERA this season, and would surely have plenty of suitors willing to swing a deal.
Both May and Romero are expected to be traded, assuming the Cardinals slip a bit in the postseason hunt. Shipping both out would make sense, and is something worth keeping tabs on as the August 3 deadline nears.
