photo: Willson Contreras (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
As the trade deadline approaches and the rumor mill spins, the St. Louis Cardinals move toward selling as they lost four of seven. Despite being a target in the Padres series, Willson Contreras led the offense with a 1.392 OPS for the week. The subject of our history feature is Cardinals trades during this week since 1985.
Game recaps
Monday, July 21, 2025 – Cardinals 6 at Rockies 2
The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Rockies in Denver by the score of 6-2 on Monday.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched seven innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on seven hits and struck out one to earn his second win.
JoJo Romero relieved McGreevy and threw a scoreless eighth. Phil Maton tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the third inning before the Cardinals tied the game in the fourth. Willson Contreras hit a solo home run. Nolan Arenado doubled and scored on a double by Masyn Winn.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth to take the lead 3-2. Brendan Donovan doubled and scored on a single by Contreras. The Cardinals widened the lead to 5-2 with a two run sixth. Arenado singled and stole second base. Jordan Walker singled. Pedro Pagés plated Arenado on a single. Victor Scott singled. Walker came home on a sac fly by Brendan Donovan.
The Cardinals put up a sixth and final run in the seventh. Contreras doubled and later scored on a single by Walker.
The offense scored six runs on 15 hits. Contreras was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Walker was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Arenado stole his second base of the season. On defense, Scott made a fielding error.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Rockies 8
The Cardinals fell to the Rockies by an 8-4 score on Tuesday. In what became his final game pitched for St. Louis, starter Erick Fedde pitched three innings, gave up six runs on seven hits, fanned five and walked one and took the loss.
Kyle Leahy relieved Fedde and surrendered one run in 3 2/3 innings. John King threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien yielded one unearned run in the eighth.
Colorado went up 1-0 in the first, 3-0 in the second and 6-0 in the third.
St. Louis got on the board with two runs in the fourth. Alec Burleson singled. Willson Contreras doubled. Burleson scored on a ground out by Nolan Arenado. Masyn Winn singled to score Contreras.
The Rockies increased their lead to 7-2 in the fifth. The Cardinals made it 7-3 in the seventh. Victor Scott walked. Brendan Donovan plated Scott on a double.
St. Louis added a fourth run in the top of the eighth to shrink the lead to 7-4. Jordan Walker doubled and came home on a double by Yohel Pozo.
Colorado scored their final run in the home eighth to win 8-4.
The Cardinals scored four runs on 11 hits. Donovan was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Walker was 2-for-4. Burleson was 2-for-3. Contreras was 2-for-5.
On defense, Donovan made a fielding error.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Rockies 6
The Cardinals dropped the series to the worst team in baseball with a 6-0 shutout loss on Wednesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, fanned five and walked two. Pallante took the loss.
Andre Granillo relieved Pallante and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. John King surrendered one run in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The Rockies went up 4-0 in the second inning and added single runs in the fifth and eighth for the final score of 6-0.
The Cardinals offense scattered five hits. Doubles by Jordan Walker and Willson Contreras were the only extra base hits. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Thursday, July 24, 2025 – Cardinals 9, Padres 7
The Cardinals scratched out a win over the Padres in the opener of a four-game weekend series at Busch Stadium. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up seven runs, six earned, on 11 hits and fanned five. Gray took the loss.
Riley O’Brien relieved Gray and threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Phil Maton pitched a scoreless eighth and Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 20th save.
The Padres went up 2-0 in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals answered with one run in the home first. Brendan Donovan singled and scored on a double by Willson Contreras.
St. Louis put up a six run second inning to jump to a 7-2 lead. Jordan Walker singled. Victor Scott walked. Brendan Donovan followed with a three-run home run. Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson doubled. Contreras hit a three-run home run.
San Diego cut the lead to 7-5 in the third. The Cardinals responded with a run in the fourth. Scott walked and stole second base. Donovan grounded out, moving Scott to third. Herrera singled to plate Scott.
The Padres answered with two runs in the fifth to shrink the lead to 8-7. The Cardinals made it 9-7 in the sixth on a solo home run by Herrera as the scoring ended there.
The offense scored nine runs on 12 hits. Donovan was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Contreras was 2-for-3 with four RBI. Herrera was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Scott scored two runs.
On the bases, Scott stole his 26th base of the season. Herrera was caught stealing. On defense, Contreras made a throwing error.
Friday, July 25, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Padres 0
The Cardinals shut out the Padres in the second game of the series on Friday.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five scoreless innings, allowed seven hits and struck out one to earn his sixth win of the season.
Four relievers threw one scoreless inning each starting with Steven Matz, Phil Maton and JoJo Romero. Ryan Helsley earned his 21st save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Nolan Arenado reached on a fielder’s choice. Masyn Winn executed a sac bunt and moved the runners over. Yohel Pozo grounded out and Contreras scored.
St. Louis added two runs in the fourth to increase the lead to 3-0. Contreras and Arenado walked. A wild pitch advanced the runners. Winn plated Contreras and Arenado on a double.
The Cardinals scored three runs on five hits. Contreras was 2-for-2. Iván Herrera was 2-for-4. Winn had two RBI.
On defense, Pozo made a throwing error and had a passed ball. Jordan Walker had an outfield assist at second base.
Saturday, July 26, 2025 – Cardinals 1, Padres 3
The Cardinals fell to the Padres by the score of 3-1 in the third game of the series on Saturday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits, struck out three and walked two. Liberatore took the loss.
Kyle Leahy relieved Liberatore and threw two scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien hurled a scoreless eighth. Andre Granillo surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. John King got the final out of the ninth.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. St. Louis tied the score with a run in the home second. Nolan Arenado walked. Jordan Walker doubled to score Arenado.
The Padres added one run in the fourth and added a final run in the ninth to win 3-1.
The Cardinals scored one run on three hits. The double by Walker was the only extra base hit. The offense was 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
On defense, Victor Scott made a fielding error.
Sunday, July 27, 2025 – Cardinals 2, Padres 9
The Cardinals lost the final game of the series to the Padres on Sunday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up seven runs on nine hits, struck out two and walked two. McGreevy took the loss.
Andre Granillo relieved McGreevy and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. John King yielded one run in the final two innings.
The Padres dominated, starting with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. They scored one run in the third and four in the fourth to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals avoided the shutout on a two-run home run by Alec Burleson in the sixth.
San Diego continued to add on with single runs in the seventh and eighth to win the game handily, 9-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on six hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott singled.
The offense was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On defense, Scott made a throwing error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 3-4. They lost a series to the Rockies, the worst team in baseball. They split a four-game home series with the Wild Card-contending Padres. The Cardinals are in fourth place in the National League Central Division, nine games back of first place.
The offense was inconsistent in both series. It came and went like the wind. The top offensive performers by OPS over the last seven days consisted of one player, Willson Contreras, with an OPS of 1.392. This offense came with some pain on Willson’s part as the Padres made a target out of him at the plate, resulting in some bench clearing scuffles with yelling involved.
The next closest by OPS were Jordan Walker (.865) and Iván Herrera (.842). At the bottom were Victor Scott (.470), Nolan Arenado (.450), and Pedro Pagés (.118).
The pitching was inconsistent as well. Miles Mikolas had a scoreless outing this week (surprise, surprise) and Matthew Liberatore (2.08) held his own for about four innings. Sonny Gray (10.80) pitched his second clunker in a row. Andre Pallante (9.00) was not particularly good either.
Then there was Erick Fedde, who made one start this week and who is no longer a Cardinal. He was designated for assignment after his disastrous start and is now the property of the Atlanta Braves. Apparently, the Cardinals are paying the majority of Fedde’s remaining salary to get the Braves to take him, according to some reports. What the Cardinals are getting in return if anything, is unclear, as the transactions page lists the return as “future considerations,” which could be a player to be named later or cash.
The Cardinals now have Michael McGreevy in the rotation on what appears to be a regular basis. McGreevy pitched twice this week. He had a very good start against the Rockies and a very bad start against the Padres for an ERA of 6.17.
The bullpen was okay and is still intact for the moment. The trade deadline is four days away and the pen is likely to look very different for next week’s installment of The Big Picture.
The Cardinals begin the new week at home with a three-game series with the Marlins, who just won a series against the Brewers, who had the best record in baseball. St. Louis ends the week again against the Padres, this time in San Diego. For his sake, hopefully Willson Contreras will survive it.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Chicago | 62 | 43 | 0.590 | ||
| Milwaukee | 62 | 43 | 0.590 | ||
| Cincinnati | 56 | 50 | 0.528 | 6.5 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 54 | 53 | 0.505 | 9 | 3.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 44 | 62 | 0.415 | 18.5 | n/a |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
- Katie Woo of the Athletic reports that the Dodgers and the Yankees are among the teams showing interest in utilityman Brendan Donovan. Woo states that although the Cardinals will listen to offers, the likelihood of a Donovan trade is low, as the Cardinals asking price will be “sky-high”.
- Woo further writes that the Cardinals are “not willing to part with one of their position players unless they are blown away by the offer”. Woo outlined that such players as Alec Burleson, Iván Herrera and Lars Nootbaar are “gathering various levels of interest”.
- Woo goes on to say that the team is “prioritizing moving pitchers” listing Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas, who are all headed for free agency at the end of the season. Notably, of the four listed, Mikolas has no-trade protection, which would hamper or limit the Cardinals ability to move him.
- Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch confirms the reports that Helsley, Maton, and Matz are being shopped, but also that the Cardinals will listen on lefties John King and JoJo Romero. Goold also listed infielder Nolan Gorman as someone about whom the Cardinals will listen to offers. Again, one presumes that any offer would have to be substantial in light of the team’s reluctance to part with position players as highlighted by Woo.
- Some of the teams who have reportedly shown interest in Helsley are the Dodgers, Phillies and Blue Jays.
- The pre-season speculation regarding a possible trade of Nolan Arenado continues into this trade deadline. John Denton of MLB.com reported at the beginning of the week that POBO John Mozeliak was planning to meet with Arenado to have an “exploratory discussion” as to whether the third baseman is agreeable to a trade to any of the teams he listed during the offseason.
Transactions
- 7/21 The Cardinals recalled RHP Michael McGreevy from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/21 The Cardinals optioned RHP Gordon Graceffo to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/23 The Cardinals designated RHP Erick Fedde for assignment.
- 7/23 The Cardinals recalled RHP Andre Granillo from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/27 The Cardinals traded RHP Erick Fedde and cash to the Atlanta Braves for future considerations.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Thompson had several setbacks in his rehab and is not throwing. He is still feeling discomfort but hopes to be throwing again in the next “week or two” (as of July 26).
- LF Lars Nootbaar (left costochondrial sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 13. Nootbaar has able to resume swinging a bat and has taken swings off a tee and against flips from coaches. He will go on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals this week.
- 2B Nolan Gorman was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 18 due to low back pain. Gorman reported feeling much better as of July 24, and the team is sending him on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals on Tuesday, July 29.
Looking Ahead
The Marlins come to town on Monday to begin a three-game series with the Cardinals. The starters for this series are Andre Pallante on Monday, followed by Sonny Gray on Tuesday and Miles Mikolas on Wednesday.
The month of August begins with another road trip, first to San Diego, then a set in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.
After a travel day on Thursday, August 7, a nine-day homestand begins, three games each with the Cubs, Rockies and Yankees.
The Cardinals then leave for a road trip to Florida, beginning with three at the Marlins starting Monday, August 18, and ending with three at the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays series begins on Thursday, August 21, and ends on Monday, August 24, with an off day in the middle on August 23. The game was moved off the Saturday date due to a conflict with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pre-season football game, which will be played at the Steinbrenner Field complex on that day. The Buccaneers play their games at Raymond James Field across the street.
Blast from the Past
The trade deadline is upon us, and it appears that the Cardinals will be sellers again this season. There is a lot of speculation but no concrete rumors as of this writing. The speculation is that the Cardinals will be selling off pitching as several relievers will become free agents at the end of the season.
This week’s Blast from the Past will reminisce about past trades involving the Cardinals for the period of July 21 through July 27. The trade deadline is on July 31 and has consistently been on or about this date for decades. Prior to 1985, the deadline was on June 15, so the trades discussed here will be of the post 1985 variety.
The following list contains notable trades involving the Cardinals in past years. For each trade the date, player or players traded, and the return for them will be noted.
July 21, 2017 – On this date, the Cardinals traded LHP Marco Gonzales to the Seattle Mariners for OF Tyler O’Neill.
July 22, 2009 – On this date, the Cardinals traded OF Chris Duncan to the Boston Red Sox for SS Julio Lugo.
July 24, 2009 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired OF Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for prospects Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortenson and Shane Peterson. Holliday came to the game in Philadelphia that day without any equipment and had to borrow a glove, shoes, and bats from his teammates. Holliday had four hits, an RBI and a stolen base in the game.
July 24, 2015 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired RHP Steve Cishek from the Miami Marlins for RHP Kyle Barraclough.
July 26, 2008 – On this date the Cardinals traded RHP Anthony Reyes to Cleveland for RHP Luis Perdomo. Perdomo was assigned to the Springfield Cardinals. He was taken in the 2008 Rule 5 Draft by the San Francisco Giants.
July 26, 2009 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired infielder Mark DeRosa from Cleveland for RHP Jess Todd and RHP Chris Perez.
July 27, 2011 – On this date, the Cardinals traded OF Colby Rasmus, along with LHP Trever Miller and LHP Brian Tallet to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Edwin Jackson, LHP Marc Rzepczynski, and RHP Octavio Dotel. Jackson had been acquired by the Blue Jays just hours earlier from the Chicago White Sox.
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