Cardinals get trade rumors on 3 pitchers that make sense despite winning record

Cardinals get trade rumors on 3 pitchers that make sense despite winning record originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 season for the St. Louis Cardinals has been a bit of a surprise. Not only is Jordan Walker breaking out into a true superstar, but the team has a 27-18 record.

St. Louis, coming into the season expecting to be clear sellers come the trade deadline, might have a case to act as buyers. At least, that might seem to be the case in theory.

But, as USA Today's Bob Nightengale highlighted, the Cardinals are still expected to field interest in a trio of pitchers at this year's trade deadline.

"While the St. Louis Cardinals' surprising success may thwart plans for selling at the trade deadline, teams are still keeping a close eye on closer Riley O'Brien and pitchers JoJo Romero and Dustin May," Nightengale writes.

Even though St. Louis has a winning record and could very well be typical buyers come the trade deadline, these three pitchers drawing trade interest do make sense for the team to seriously consider.

Cardinals receiving trade interest on 3 pitchers makes sense

The Cardinals might have a good record this season and might even contend for a postseason spot come the end of the year, but in reality, they're still rebuilding.

One of the main areas of the roster that needs improvement is, ironically, the pitching staff. They need younger, controllable talents to be long-term solutions.

Romero and May are free agents after the 2026 season, and both should very realistically be trade candidates this year. Even with a winning record, both would make a ton of sense to trade.

MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals

O'Brien is a slightly different case, as even though he's 31 years old, he's under club control for a while longer, and would make sense to hold onto with his 2.45 ERA.

The Cardinals might be a postseason contender this year, but if they can get back something decent for veterans on expiring deals, they should seriously consider making a trade or two.

Things are going well right now, but it would be a mistake to fully commit to this team as a serious playoff contender. Chaim Bloom and Oli Marmol should trade Romero and May, acquire long-term talent, and look forward to the 2027 season and beyond.