Could the Cardinals shop their ace?
The St. Louis Cardinals are an enigma entering the second half of the 2025 season. They went 51-46 in the first half, but also limped into the All-Star break with a 4-8 record in their last 12 games.
They will be an interesting team at the trade deadline. They have plenty of trade candidates, but also are in contention.
If they sell, look for any relievers on expiring contracts to be traded. But Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicts another piece could be on the move if they fall out of contention.
Miller predicts that right-hander Sonny Gray could draw some interest.
"We were expecting a bit of a Cardinals fire sale to take place during the offseason, but they could command a lot of prospect capital later this month with the likes of Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas and Phil Maton among their long list of trade candidates," Miller wrote.
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Gray is 9-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 19 starts with the Cardinals this season. He has also recorded 118 strikeouts in 108 innings of work.
Moving Gray's salary will be difficult, and unless the Cardinals eat a big chunk of it, it may be hard to bring back a strong haul of prospects.
Still, if they fall out of contention, it's always possible that Gray could reconsider waiving his no-trade clause. St. Louis signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract prior to 2024.
The three-time All-Star has been St. Louis' most consistent starter this season. The Cardinals may not want to trade him, but if they can't stay in contention, it might be worth shopping him to see what they can get.
We'll see how things shake out at the deadline.
More MLB: How is the Cardinals' pitching looking for the second half?
Category: Baseball
