Caught between contention and caution, the Cardinals are floating in deadline limbo—dangling bullpen pieces, revisiting no-trade clauses, and hinting at future plans without saying much at all.
When I was a kid, I’d ask my mom for things—can I sleep over at a friend’s house, grab drive-thru on the way home, get that snack I spotted in the grocery aisle. She rarely said no outright. More often, she said: “we’ll see.” I eventually learned that was code. Sometimes it meant, no, but she didn’t want to deal with the reaction. Other times, it meant not yet—a conditional maybe, pending good behavior, a clean room, or divine intervention.
Fast forward a few decades, and I’m hearing echoes of that same phrase as the MLB Trade Deadline barrels toward us. The Cardinals, perched in midseason limbo, have spent weeks saying “we’ll see” when asked about their plans. It’s hard not to feel like the kid again—waiting, hoping, knowing deep down that stalling often means a quiet no.
But the deadline doesn’t wait. And very soon, we’ll see if “we’ll see” actually meant anything at all.
So where do the Cardinals stand—and who might actually be on the move?
If you’ve been tracking every press conference, roster shuffle, and beat writer cryptic post like a true baseball sleuth, you know the vibes are…uneasy. The team isn’t out of contention, but they’re not exactly chasing October with fangs bared either. It’s the kind of limbo that makes “we’ll see” feel less like a strategy and more like a placeholder for indecision.
This is something I understand, too—because honestly, I’m not sure I know what I want the team to do either. A competitive squad is simply more fun to watch. Even if the odds are long, there’s a kind of magic in seeing a team try to beat them. That’s the beauty of sports: hope, grit, chaos, surprise. But mortgaging future seasons for a slim shot now? That’s not a viable strategy—and it’s not what I want either.
So what options are really on the table—and how much truth is tucked into that familiar “we’ll see”?
Jeff Passan’s latest deadline preview puts it plainly: the Cardinals are “subtracting, but not completely.” The rotation’s thin ice has finally cracked, and while the team’s record hovers above .500, the front office is eyeing future seasons more than this one. Starting pitching is the biggest need, but the most tradable assets are in the bullpen: Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz—all on expiring deals and drawing interest from contenders.
Arenado and Fedde? The team would love to move them, but suitors aren’t biting. Gray and Mikolas? No-trade clauses and no intention of leaving. Which means the Cardinals’ deadline moves might be more surgical than sweeping.
The Cardinals are reportedly revisiting Nolan Arenado’s no-trade clause, trying to gauge whether he’d approve a move if the right suitor emerged. He blocked a deal to Houston this past offseason, but that wasn’t a blanket refusal—it was a wait-and-see. A “not yet.” And now, with the deadline days away, the front office is circling back, hoping for clarity.
But clarity is elusive. Arenado’s bat has cooled, his contract is hefty, and his list of preferred destinations is short. The Yankees need a third baseman, but they’re reportedly wary of his decline. The Dodgers and Padres are set at the position. The Astros? Still a maybe, but not a likely one.
So unless something shifts—unless “we’ll see” becomes “I’ll go”—Arenado stays. And the Cardinals keep straddling the line between now and next.
Passan also notes that this is John Mozeliak’s swan song as president of baseball ops. With Chaim Bloom waiting in the wings, the front office may be hesitant to make bold moves involving young position players. That kind of roster surgery might be left for Bloom’s first offseason scalpel.
In the end, “we’ll see” is still just that: a maybe cloaked in patience. It’s a phrase that holds space—for change, for disappointment, for hope. The Cardinals are doing what my mom did all those years ago: buying time, softening impact, dangling possibility without committing to any single path.
And maybe with the Cardinals dangling along a precipice of mediocrity, that’s the only move left. As fans, we brace ourselves not just for transactions, but for the meanings they carry. We watch, we hope, we refresh Twitter or X or BlueSky or whatever it is people do now. We listen for the chime of breaking news—or the silence that means nothing has changed.
The deadline always comes. Whether the Cardinals flinch or flex… well…we’ll see.
Happy Sunday!
