The whole baseball community was shocked to learn that Nolan Arenado, the outstanding third baseman, began the 2025 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that everyone had anticipated would rebuild after two dismal seasons. But now that the Cardinals have shown they mean business in the NL Central thus far this season, a rebuild that once seemed inevitable is nonexistent.
The Cardinals had a 30-23 record going into Monday, which is presently good enough to hold down an NL Wild Card slot, and they were just two games behind the Chicago Cubs in first place in the NL Central. St. Louis’ preparations for the trade deadline have drastically changed as it looks like they could truly be in the postseason picture for the long run.
The Cardinals will now be searching for additions they might need to contend in the postseason, rather than becoming sellers at the deadline. Although Arenado will no longer be involved in such trade negotiations, a previous top prospect may.
Jordan Walker is perfect trade bait for the Cardinals
Even though the Cardinals have been playing well, outfielder Jordan Walker has once again fallen far short of expectations. The Cardinals were hoping the former No. 4 overall pick would have a breakthrough season and prove he could be a member of the team’s future.
Walker, on the other hand, is only hitting.212 with 20 RBI and three home runs. These troubles come after a poor 2024 season, so it is not like St. Louis is abandoning up on Walker based simply on his 44 games this year.
Walker has enough potential and is still young enough for the Cardinals to trade him at the deadline to acquire the additions they require. Walker is certain to be mentioned in at least one of the deals St. Louis makes before to the deadline, but it is too soon to say precisely what those requirements will be.
Scouts know Walker has power because of his 6-foot-6, 250-pound build; it just has to be located. It is unlikely that St. Louis will be able to acquire top prospects or household names for Walker given his lackluster at-bat performances over the past two seasons, but a team will be willing to part with a player who can benefit the Cardinals because they believe Walker’s potential may be found elsewhere. It will be up to St. Louis to decide if that trade-off is worthwhile.
