Central STL News

The St. Louis Cardinals are navigating a crucial period as the MLB Trade Deadline approaches, with their future moves hinging on their performance in the coming weeks. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has indicated that team ownership might support spending if the team remains competitive.

Despite this possibility, the Cardinals faced a challenging setback with a loss to the Chicago Cubs, who hit eight home runs against them, marking an unprecedented event in franchise history. The defeat was particularly disappointing given that it followed an off-day meant for regrouping.

Mozeliak has expressed confidence in his team's resilience, citing their 21 come-from-behind victories this season. However, with 72 games remaining and sitting 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs after Saturday's game, the Cardinals' position is precarious.

The next three weeks are critical; should they stay in contention for either the NL Central or a Wild Card slot, they may look to add resources before August 1st or maintain their current roster. Conversely, falling out of contention could lead to selling valuable players such as Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz.

Mozeliak hopes for "really hard decisions to make" at the deadline and believes ownership will support adding talent if necessary. He acknowledged revenue considerations but maintained optimism about potential support from ownership if conditions warrant action.

Reflecting on past experiences when the team became sellers at the deadline in 2023 and finished poorly that season, Mozeliak emphasized understanding potential trade offers while keeping options open. His goal is to strengthen his final squad's playoff chances rather than seek long-term assets for incoming operations president Chaim Bloom.

“Trying to understand what someone may want to give you for something is probably worth hearing or at least listening because you can always say no," Mozeliak stated. "The mindset is to remain open-minded."