Armchair GM: Ranking the St. Louis Cardinals’ Trading Chips

Armchair GM: Ranking the Cardinals’ Trading Chips

The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The St. Louis Cardinals are in one of the more complicated positions a club can occupy at the trade deadline.

They are not buried. They are not rebuilding in the traditional white-flag sense. They are not so far away that everything with value must go. But they are also not a finished product, and pretending they are would be poor roster management.

That is the balance Chaim Bloom must strike.

The Cardinals have played well enough to remain in the National League Wild Card picture, but the long-term plan has not changed. This organization is still building toward a stronger, younger, more sustainable roster in 2027 and 2028. That means the deadline should not be treated as a clearance sale, but it also cannot become an emotional exercise in clinging to every useful veteran simply because the standings are respectable.

This is where discipline matters.

The Cardinals should be willing to sell. They should not be willing to panic. They should listen on almost everybody. They should not touch the true foundation pieces. There is a difference between trading from a position of strength and tearing boards off the side of the barn.

Here is how the Cardinals’ trading chips should be ranked.

Tier 1: The Must-Sell Expiring Chips

Dustin May, RHP

If the Cardinals are serious about maximizing value, Dustin May sits at the top of the list.

May was brought in on a short-term deal, and that is exactly the kind of player a deadline seller — or even a soft seller — has to be honest about. He has restored value, given the Cardinals quality innings and reminded the league why his arm has always carried real intrigue.

That also makes him exactly the kind of pitcher contenders will chase.

Starting pitching is always expensive in July. It becomes even more expensive when multiple postseason clubs are trying to patch thin rotations at the same time. If May is pitching well, the Cardinals cannot afford to treat him like a long-term fixture unless they are prepared to extend him. Otherwise, the smarter play is to move him while the market is hot.

This is not about punting the season. This is about understanding asset management.

A strong Dustin May has value. An expiring Dustin May has risk. A traded Dustin May could bring back the kind of young pitching or upper-level prospect depth this organization still needs.

Verdict: Sell, unless the return is insulting.

Ryne Stanek, RHP

Veteran relievers on short-term deals are made for the trade deadline.

Stanek fits the profile. He has experience, power stuff and the kind of bullpen résumé that will appeal to a contender looking for one more late-inning option. The Cardinals may value what he brings, but relievers without long-term control are precisely the type of arms a team in transition should be willing to flip.

The bullpen market is always aggressive because contenders know October games are often decided from the sixth inning on. One trusted reliever can swing a series. That urgency creates opportunity for clubs willing to sell.

Stanek should not be treated as a throwaway, but he also should not be protected. If another team is willing to pay for experience and velocity, the Cardinals should take the call and make the deal.

Verdict: Sell.

Tier 2: The Aggressive Sell-High Candidates

Lars Nootbaar, OF

This is where the conversation gets uncomfortable.

Lars Nootbaar is a good player. He gets on base, brings energy, plays with intelligence and has been one of the more recognizable faces of this era of Cardinals baseball. But good players can still be trade candidates when the timeline, roster fit and market value all point in the same direction.

Nootbaar has value now. That matters.

The Cardinals have younger outfield options pushing toward St. Louis, with Joshua Báez sitting as the most obvious name in the upper minors. At some point, the organization has to create opportunity for the next wave. Keeping Nootbaar only makes sense if the Cardinals see him as part of the next serious contender or believe the offers will fall short of his real value.

This is not a player you dump. This is a player you shop carefully.

The return has to hurt the other team. The Cardinals should be asking for impact pitching, preferably young and controllable. If the offer is light, keep him. If the offer brings back a legitimate long-term arm, Bloom has to be willing to act.

Verdict: Listen aggressively, but do not settle.

JoJo Romero, LHP

JoJo Romero is the kind of player contenders love and rebuilding clubs hate to give up.

A quality left-handed reliever with control has real deadline value. That does not mean the Cardinals should rush to move him. In fact, Romero’s value cuts both ways. He could help the next good Cardinals team, but he could also bring back a return that helps build that team faster.

This is the exact kind of decision that separates smart front offices from reactionary ones.

If a contender views Romero as a postseason weapon and offers a serious young starting pitcher or a package with real upside, the Cardinals should consider it. But if the market treats him like just another bullpen arm, St. Louis should walk away.

Controlled relief help has value beyond one season. There is no reason to move Romero just to say you sold.

Verdict: Available only for an overpay.

Tier 3: Listen, But Hold Unless Overwhelmed

Riley O’Brien, RHP

Riley O’Brien is not a simple trade chip. He is a power arm with years of control, and that changes the entire discussion.

If he were an expiring veteran, this would be easy. But he is not. He has shown the kind of late-inning ability every club spends years trying to find. Triple-digit velocity, ninth-inning presence and team control are not things a club should casually move.

That said, every player has a price.

If another team views O’Brien as a controllable closer and wants to pay like it, Bloom has to listen. But the Cardinals should not be shopping him in the same category as rental relievers. O’Brien is not just helping the current roster. He could still be helping the next good Cardinals team.

The bullpen needs stability. The organization has spent too many years searching for dependable late-inning answers to give one away cheaply.

Verdict: Hold, unless the return is too good to refuse.

Nelson Velázquez, OF/DH

Nelson Velázquez is useful, but useful does not always mean essential.

He brings power, depth and roster flexibility, but he is also the kind of player who can become part of a larger deal if another club values the bat. The Cardinals do not need to force a trade here, but they also should not cling too tightly.

Velázquez makes sense as a secondary piece in a package. He can help a club looking for right-handed thump, and the Cardinals have enough outfield and designated hitter considerations that his role is not locked in long term.

If he stays, fine. If he helps complete a deal for pitching, also fine.

Verdict: Moveable in the right package.

Alec Burleson, 1B/OF

Alec Burleson belongs in a different category than the easy trade names.

He is young enough, productive enough and affordable enough to remain part of the Cardinals’ immediate and long-term plans. His bat has value to St. Louis, and unless another team is willing to treat him like a core offensive piece in trade talks, there is no reason to move him.

This is where the Cardinals must avoid getting too cute.

Not every player with trade value should be traded. Burleson helps the current lineup, fits the age range better than the veterans, and gives the Cardinals a left-handed bat they would have to replace if they moved him.

The Cardinals can listen. They should not lead with his name.

Verdict: Hold, unless another team overpays.

Tier 4: The Must-Hold Cornerstones

JJ Wetherholt, INF

JJ Wetherholt should not be available. Period.

He represents exactly what the Cardinals are trying to build: athleticism, bat-to-ball skill, plate discipline, power growth and star-level upside. If the organization is serious about building a new core, Wetherholt is one of the anchors.

There is no realistic deadline deal that should involve him.

Verdict: Untouchable.

Masyn Winn, SS

Masyn Winn is the shortstop.

That should settle the matter. He gives the Cardinals premium defense, athleticism, energy and long-term stability at one of the most important positions on the field. Teams spend years trying to find a shortstop they can build around.

The Cardinals already have one.

Verdict: Untouchable.

Jordan Walker, OF

Jordan Walker remains a foundational piece because the ceiling is still too high to walk away from.

Development is rarely a straight line. The Cardinals have learned that the hard way with several young players over the years. But Walker’s combination of size, power, athleticism and offensive upside still makes him part of the bigger picture.

Trading him now would be selling the idea of what he can become before letting the story fully play out.

Verdict: Hold.

Iván Herrera, C

Iván Herrera has worked his way into the future of the organization.

Catching is hard to find. Catchers who can hit are even harder to find. Herrera’s offensive ability gives the Cardinals a valuable piece at a premium position, and unless the organization believes the defensive gap is too much to overcome, he should remain part of the core.

The Cardinals have depth behind the plate, but that should not be confused with a reason to trade Herrera casually.

Verdict: Hold.

Blaze Jordan, 3B/1B

Blaze Jordan fits the kind of player Bloom should want to keep around.

He brings power, youth and corner-infield upside. If he continues to establish himself, he gives the Cardinals another cost-controlled bat with the ability to grow with the rest of the young position-player group.

He is not a player you move unless another club values him far more than the Cardinals do.

Verdict: Hold.

Michael McGreevy, RHP

Michael McGreevy should be treated as part of the solution, not a trade sweetener.

The Cardinals need cost-controlled starting pitching. They need innings. They need stability. McGreevy provides all three. Even if his ceiling is debated, his value to this roster is obvious because the organization cannot keep talking about building around young pitching while trading away young pitching.

Unless a team is offering a clear upgrade with long-term control, McGreevy should stay.

Verdict: Hold.

The Bottom Line

The Cardinals should be sellers, but they should be selective sellers.

That means shopping Dustin May. That means moving Ryne Stanek if the market is there. That means listening hard on Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero, but only acting if the return matches the value. That means keeping Riley O’Brien unless somebody gets reckless. That means holding Alec Burleson unless another club treats him as more than a spare part.

Most importantly, it means protecting the real foundation.

Wetherholt, Winn, Walker, Herrera, Blaze Jordan and McGreevy should not be treated as deadline currency. They are the reason this reset has a chance to work.

The Cardinals do not have to choose between competing now and building for the future. They simply have to be honest about who fits, who does not, and who can bring back the next wave of pitching this organization badly needs.

Good organizations do not sell out of fear.

They sell with a purpose and a plan for the future.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

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Photo Credit: Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals | CBS Sports