The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t supposed to be here. Most analysts wrote them off before the season started, after the front office shipped out Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado. It looked like a full reset. But here we are in late June, and the Cardinals are sitting at 42-37, third in the NL Central, and very much in the playoff conversation.
That unexpected success has created a weird tension inside the organization. Because the same team that’s exceeding expectations also has a starting pitcher who might be their most valuable trade chip — and Chaim Bloom, the new president of baseball operations, has been pretty open about building for the future.
According to an MLB.com report, the Cardinals are still open to moving right-hander Dustin May if they start to slip before the August 3 trade deadline. The report basically said that St. Louis’ strong first half has made it a tougher call, but if they fade, May will be dealt as Bloom continues laying groundwork for his tenure.
May has been a real bright spot in the rotation this year. He’s made 15 starts, and while he gave up six runs his last time out, the 12 starts before that tell a different story. A 2.54 ERA and a 2.69 FIP over that stretch. The stuff has been there. The question is whether the Cardinals can afford to lose him.
The young core is carrying the load
The Cardinals have leaned hard on their younger players this season, and it’s working. Guys like JJ Wetherholt have stepped up and helped steer this offense. That youth movement is part of why Bloom might feel comfortable moving May — he’s got a 28-year-old with value, and the rotation has some young arms waiting.
But there’s also the reality that the Cardinals have dropped six of their last 10 games. They host the Marlins on Saturday night, and every game from here on out feels like it matters for the trade deadline calculus. If they hang around in the division race, do you really trade one of your best starters? If they slide, do you absolutely have to?
Bloom hasn’t tipped his hand publicly. The front office is keeping things close. But the industry expectation is clear: if the Cardinals drift backward in July, May is probably gone. And for a team that wasn’t supposed to be good this year, that’s a weirdly complicated decision to have to make.
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