Cardinals Only Expected to Make One More Trade Before Deadline

Cardinals Only Expected to Make One More Trade Before Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With just a few hours to go until the trade deadline, a lot of the league's attention is on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have already sent Ryan Helsley to the Mets and Steven Matz to the Blue Jays, and it appears Phil Maton will be the next to go.

Like Helsley and Matz, Maton will be a free agent at the end of the season. After signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals this past offseason, Maton has been exceptional this year, posting a 2.35 ERA in 40 appearances. It was reported last night that Maton did not travel with the rest of the Cardinals to San Diego.

While a Maton trade feels inevitable, it will likely be the last move of significance that the Cardinals make. Position players such as Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson have generated interest from contending teams, but Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that the Cardinals have not entertained any of those potential offers.

If the Cardinals are indeed finished after trading Maton, that means eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado will remain in St. Louis. After generating all sorts of trade rumors in the offseason and even vetoing a trade to Houston, Arenado has had a miserable year offensively. His .235 batting average and .660 OPS on the season are both on pace to be career lows. The Cardinals have Arenado under contract through 2027.

Lastly, JoJo Romero is the final Cardinals' reliever with considerable trade value. Romero has a 2.04 ERA in 35 1/3 innings pitched this year and is under team control through 2026. The extra year of control could've possibly generated the Cardinals an even greater prospect return than they got for Helsley, but it appears St. Louis will hold onto Romero, making him an instrumental part of their bullpen in 2026.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.