The St. Louis Cardinals made three trades at this week’s deadline, shipping off rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz to the Mets, Rangers, and Red Sox, respectively.
Noticeably missing from the action were any players under team control past 2025. Despite interest from multiple contenders in names like JoJo Romero, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Alec Burleson, none were dealt.
Outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak’s explanation likely won’t sit well with many fans.
According to The Athletic’s Katie Woo, Mozeliak told reporters after the deadline that the team didn’t receive any overwhelming offers for their controllable players and therefore didn’t feel compelled to move them.
“We got a lot of calls on our left-handed hitters,” Mozeliak said, “but we weren’t inclined to trade anyone under control unless we were, to put it mildly, blown away. And that didn’t happen.”
Regarding injured hitters like Nootbaar and Gorman, Mozeliak said the team was “open to it,” but the timing wasn’t right.
From one angle, Mozeliak’s logic makes sense — if the offers weren’t good enough, there was no need to rush. Players like Gorman and Nootbaar could rebuild value in the second half, allowing someone like Chaim Bloom to revisit trades this offseason if desired.
But claiming the team was “hit hard” with interest suggests serious proposals were made. Given how aggressive teams like the Padres were — ultimately acquiring Ryan O’Hearn to fill their left field need — the Cardinals’ stance that they needed to be “blown away” feels like a sign they had overly high expectations, even in a market favorable to sellers.
There’s also an odd leadership structure in St. Louis right now. While Mozeliak remains at the forefront, Chaim Bloom is operating more quietly in the background. Even though Bloom is actively involved in decisions, hearing comments like “the timing just wasn’t now” raises questions about whether the outcome might have been different if Bloom were fully in charge.
As for JoJo Romero, the decision not to trade him is baffling. He’s been excellent this season and is under control for another year — meaning he could’ve brought back a return equal to or better than what Helsley netted. Instead, the Cardinals chose inaction.
Overall, it was a passable deadline for St. Louis. They made the obvious moves, but that’s part of the issue — they didn’t show creativity or make bold decisions, something that’s become all too familiar during Mozeliak’s tenure.