photo: Andre Pallante (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Losing both series last week, the St. Louis Cardinals fell below .500 for the first time in almost three months. Andre Pallante made two good starts, but the offense has been lacking. The subject of our history feature is Cardinals trades during this busy deadline week since 1985.
Cardinals’ bullpen reduced by three at trade deadline
The annual MLB trade deadline came and went this past Thursday. As expected, the St. Louis Cardinals traded three relief pitchers with expiring contracts for six minor leaguers but did not go beyond those moves.
On Wednesday, July 30, the Cardinals traded closer Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets for three A-ball prospects. They are SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, and RHP Frank Elisalt. All three have been assigned to the High-A Peoria Chiefs.
On Thursday, the Cardinals traded LHP Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox for 1B/3B Blaze Jordan. Jordan was assigned to the Memphis Redbirds.
Also on Thursday, RHP Phil Maton was traded to the Texas Rangers for LHP Mason Molina, RHP Skylar Hales, and international bonus pool money.
Baez, age 20, was the Mets no. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Dohm, age 22, was ranked #16 by MLB Pipeline. Elissalt, age 23, was unranked. Baez has already appeared in games for the Chiefs. Dohm and Elissalt pitched for Peoria on Sunday.
The return for Helsley was about what could reasonably be expected for a short-term rental. Helsley becomes a free agent at the end of the season, without any guarantee where he will play in 2026. There are some who opined that the Mets got the better end of the deal, however.
Baez is currently listed as a shortstop, but he has the arm for third base. He has a power grade of 55 and a 70-grade arm.
Dohm was mostly a reliever in college, though he made a handful of starts in 2024. He throws a 93-95 mph fastball and has a good slider but also possesses a changeup and curveball he throws less often.
Elissalt was the Mets 19th round pick in 2024. He throws a low to mid 90s fastball, and a low to mid 80s slider and changeup.
Jordan, 22, is a first baseman, sometime third baseman with high power potential. Jordan was a draft pick of soon to be Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, when he was leading the Red Sox. Jordan is appearing in games for the Memphis Redbirds and had his first RBI on Sunday.
Left-hander Molina, 22, was the Rangers #26 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was originally drafted by the Brewers and acquired by the Rangers in January 2025. Molina possesses a 50-grade fastball and slider, and 60-grade changeup. He has been assigned to the Peoria Chiefs.
Hales, 23, was the Rangers fourth round draft pick in 2023. The right-hander was pitching with their Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express at the time of the trade. Hales has a 60-grade fastball that sits 94-97 mph and can reach 100. He also had a mid-80s slider which is his best secondary pitch. He pitches from a low arm slot. Hales has been assigned to the Memphis Redbirds.
The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Fernandez, RHP Andre Granillo and RHP Roddery Muñoz from Memphis to replace the three traded relievers and made a series of 14 other moves across the system over the weekend to rebalance rosters.
Game recaps
Monday, July 28, 2025 – Cardinals 7, Marlins 1
The Cardinals defeated the Marlins by a 7-1 score on Monday at Busch Stadium. Starter Andre Pallante pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed one hit, fanned four and walked one to earn his sixth win of the season.
Steven Matz relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Matt Svanson surrendered one run in the ninth.
St. Louis took the lead in the third inning on a solo home run by Alec Burleson. They added a run in the fourth as Yohel Pozo doubled and scored on a wild pitch and a throwing error.
The Cardinals put up a crooked number with five in the seventh. Victor Scott doubled and stole second base. Brendan Donovan and Iván Herrera walked. Garrett Hampson pinch ran for Herrera. Burleson reached on catcher interference and Scott came home. Masyn Winn hit a bases clearing double. Jordan Walker plated Winn on a double.
Miami averted being shut out with one run in the ninth.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on eight hits. Winn was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Burleson drove in two.
Scott stole his 27th base of the season.
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Marlins 5
The Cardinals were blanked by the Marlins by a 5-0 score on Tuesday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, fanned five and walked one. Gray took the loss.
Steven Matz relieved Gray and surrendered two runs in the sixth. Matt Svanson threw two scoreless innings. John King collected two outs in the ninth inning but left with an injury. Kyle Leahy secured the final out of the ninth.
Miami went up 2-0 in the second inning, added one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to go ahead 5-0.
The Cardinals offense scattered only four hits, singles by Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Pedro Pagés and Jordan Walker. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.
Victor Scott walked twice and stole his 28th and 29th bases of the season.
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Marlins 2
The Cardinals were blanked by the Marlins for the second straight game to close the three-game home series with a thud. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five. Mikolas took the loss.
Riley O’Brien relieved Mikolas and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kyle Leahy secured the final out of the ninth.
Miami scored the only two runs of the game in the third inning. St. Louis was held to five total hits, all singles, one each by Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Thomas Saggese and Jordan Walker.
The offense was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners stranded.
Walker stole his fourth base of the season.
Thursday, July 31, 2025 – Off day
Friday, August 1, 2025 – Cardinals 1 at Padres 4
The Cardinals fell to the Padres in the opener of a three-game weekend series in San Diego. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs, one earned, on four hits, struck out one and walked two.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Gordon Graceffo hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
All the runs in this game scored in the fifth inning. The Cardinals took a brief lead on a solo home run by Willson Contreras.
The Padres answered with four runs in the home half, aided by costly throwing errors on the infield by Contreras and Nolan Gorman.
The Cardinals offense scored one run on four hits. The hits other than the Contreras home run were singles by Gorman, Victor Scott and Masyn Winn.
The offense was 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left one man on base.
Fernandez committed an error on a pick off.
Saturday, August 2, 2025 – Cardinals 8 at Padres 5
The Cardinals won their second game of the week, and first against the Padres on Saturday by the score of 8-5. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, fanned four and walked one.
Kyle Leahy relieved McGreevy and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero surrendered one run in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The somnolent Cardinal offense, which scored only one run in the past three games, appeared at first blush like their drowsiness would continue for a fourth. The Padres offense hit the ground running with one run in the first inning, followed by two in the second and one in the third, to lead 4-0.
The St. Louis struggling offense awakened in the fourth with four runs to tie the game. Willson Contreras doubled and Masyn Winn singled. Nolan Gorman singled to score Contreras. Pedro Pagés followed with a three-run home run.
The Cardinals did not stop there, with two more runs in the fifth to take the lead 6-4. Iván Herrera singled and Alec Burleson walked. Winn doubled to plate Herrera and Burleson.
That score held until the top of the ninth, when the Cardinals added two more runs for an 8-4 lead. Victor Scott and Brendan Donovan singled. Herrera was hit by a pitch. Burleson drove in the Scott on a single. Donovan came home on a sac fly by Contreras.
The Padres mounted a rally in the home ninth but managed only one run to lose 8-5.
St. Louis’ offense scored eight runs on 12 hits. Winn was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Herrera was 3-for-4. Pagés had three RBI.
On defense, Burleson had an outfield assist at second base.
Sunday, August 3, 2025 – Cardinals 3 at Padres 7
The Cardinals were defeated by the Padres on Sunday to drop their second series of the week. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up two runs on five hits, fanned four and walked three. Pallante took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved and surrendered four runs in two innings. Roddery Muñoz yielded one run in the eighth.
The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, added four runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals avoided the shutout with three runs in the ninth, but the effort was in vain. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson singled. Willson Contreras walked. Nolan Gorman singled and Herrera scored. Jordan Walker plated Burleson on a single. Contreras came home on a sac fly by pinch hitter Lars Nootbaar.
The Cardinals scored three runs on six hits. Herrera was 2-for-3.
On defense, third baseman Thomas Saggese made a throwing error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 2-4, winning one game each with the Marlins and the Padres. The team sunk even lower into fourth place, now 12 games out of first. They are one game below .500, a place they haven’t been in almost three months, since May 6th. It’s not that much of a stretch to get to last place at this pace, considering the current cellar-dwelling team, the Pirates, have won seven of their last 10 games.
The Cardinals offense shows up once or twice a week and then disappears again. When it disappears, it does so almost entirely. Just this week alone, the team was shut out twice and was held to one run twice. This team does not win or lose close games anymore it seems and the departure of closer Ryan Helsley will not help in the short-term.
The top offensive performers for the week by OPS, which has regularly become a small number of late, consists of Pedro Pagés (1.000 in 7 ABs). Next closest was Masyn Winn (.824). At the bottom are Lars Nootbaar (.367), Brendan Donovan (.347) and Yohel Pozo (.276). Nootbaar just returned from the IL and started one game over the weekend, and pinch hit in the final game. Donovan and Pozo have no such excuse. Donovan has been in a slump since the All-Star Game.
The pitching hasn’t been as bad as the offense, though that is not as ringing of an endorsement as it sounds. The starters with ERAs for the week under 4.00 are Andre Pallante (1.50 in two starts) and Miles Mikolas (3.00). Sonny Gray (5.40) hasn’t been himself for multiple starts. Michael McGreevy has also not been particularly good since he became a permanent member of the rotation.
The bullpen is in flux, so it is not surprising that there have been issues. Gordon Graceffo pitched poorly (12.00). Steven Matz was traded away, so his 9.00 ERA in two games can be disregarded. Roddery Muñoz (9.00) has made only one appearance of one inning, so he gets a pass for the time being (his track record, doesn’t suggest he will get better, but who knows). Everyone else has been fine.
It remains to be seen who closes games with Helsley gone. JoJo Romero received the first opportunity, with Riley O’Brien and Kyle Leahy perhaps also in the mix.
The Cardinals continue their West Coast road trip in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, where more of the same could be in the offing. The Cards come home for nine games, starting with a weekend series with the Cubs, who have fallen off a bit and lost first place to the Brewers. That shouldn’t make much difference, unless the Cardinals suddenly find something they haven’t had for quite some time.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 67 | 44 | 0.604 | ||
| Chicago | 65 | 46 | 0.563 | 2 | |
| Cincinnati | 58 | 54 | 0.518 | 9.5 | 4 |
| St. Louis | 56 | 57 | 0.496 | 12 | 6.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 48 | 64 | 0.429 | 19.5 | 14 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
With the deadline passed, there are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 7/28 The Cardinals optioned RHP Andre Granillo to the Memphis Redbirds
- 7/28 The Cardinals recalled RHP Matt Svanson from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/29 The Cardinals sent 2B Nolan Gorman on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 7/30 The Cardinals traded RHP Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets for SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, and RHP Frank Elissalt.
- 7/30 The Cardinals sent LF Lars Nootbaar on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 7/30 The Cardinals placed LHP John King on the 15-day injured list. Left oblique strain.
- 7/31 The Cardinals traded LHP Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox for 1B/3B Blaze Jordan.
- 7/31 The Cardinals traded RHP Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers for LHP Mason Molina, RHP Skylar Hales, and international bonus pool money.
- 8/1 The Cardinals activated 2B Nolan Gorman from the 10-day injured list.
- 8/1 The Cardinals placed 3B Nolan Arenado on the 10-day injured list. Right shoulder strain.
- 8/1 The Cardinals recalled RHP Roddery Muñoz from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/1 The Cardinals recalled RHP Andre Granillo from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/1 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/2 The Cardinals activated LF Lars Nootbaar from the 10-day injured list.
- 8/2 The Cardinals optioned IF José Fermín to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Thompson has had several setbacks in his rehab. Thompson is reportedly hoping to resume throwing within the next week or two. When Thompson may return to the big league roster is unknown.
- LF Lars Nootbaar was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 2.
- 2B Nolan Gorman was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 1.
- LHP John King was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 30. Left oblique strain. King sustained the injury on July 29 after throwing two pitches in the ninth inning of the game against the Marlins. A mid-August return is the goal.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. The third baseman has been bothered by shoulder pain for some time. There is no timetable established for Arenado’s return.
Looking Ahead
The series in San Diego ended on Sunday, and the team traveled north to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in a three-game set. Sonny Gray is expected to make the Monday start, followed by Miles Mikolas on Tuesday and Matthew Liberatore on Wednesday.
After a travel day on Thursday, August 7, a nine-day homestand begins, first with the Cubs. The Rockies and Yankees complete the homestand.
The Cardinals then head to Florida, beginning with three at the Marlins beginning Monday, August 18, and ending with three at the Tampa Bay Rays, guesting at Steinbrenner Field. 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. The Buccaneers play their games at Raymond James Field across the street and the two stadiums share parking.
Blast from the Past
The trade deadline has passed, and the Cardinals were sellers again. As expected, the Cardinals traded their players with expiring contracts, Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton.
This week’s Blast from the Past will reminisce about past trades involving the Cardinals for the period of July 28 through August 3. The 2025 trade deadline was on July 31 and has consistently been on or about this date for decades. Prior to 1985, the deadline was June 15, so the trades discussed here will be of the post-1985 variety.
For each trade, the date, player or players traded, and the return for the players traded will be noted.
July 29, 2002 – On this day, the Cardinals acquired Scott Rolen, along with Doug Nickle (who was claimed off waivers by the Padres a month later) and cash from the Phillies, and sent Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin to Philadelphia.
July 29, 2018 – On this date, the Cardinals traded St. Louis native Luke Voit and International Bonus Pool money to the Yankees for LHP Chasen Shreve and RHP Giovanny Gallegos.
July 29, 2024 – On this day, the Cardinals were part of a three-team trade, sending IF/OF Tommy Edman (on a rehab assignment at the time) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers sent Miguel Vargas and two prospects to the White Sox, and the Cardinals received RHP Erick Fedde and OF Tommy Pham from the White Sox.
This trade turned out fabulously for the Dodgers, but not so much for the Cardinals as both Pham and Fedde were eventually waived.
July 30, 2013 – The Cardinals traded Marc Rzepczynski to Cleveland for Juan Herrera. Rzepczynski was a part of the World Series Championship club in 2011. Herrera spent four seasons bouncing around three levels of the Cardinals minor league system.
July 30, 2014 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Justin Masterson from Cleveland for OF James Ramsey. Ramsey was St. Louis’ first-round draft pick in 2012. He never reached the major leagues, bouncing around the minor leagues before calling it quits in 2018. Ramsey is currently the head coach for the Georgia Institute of Technology baseball team.
July 30, 2015 – The Cardinals acquired OF Brandon Moss from Cleveland for RHP Rob Kaminsky. The Cardinals eventually re-acquired Kaminsky on a minor league contract in 2019. The Cardinals called him up on August 15, 2020 and he made three appearances out of the bullpen. He was designated for assignment a month later and remained in the organization at the Alternate Site for the final weeks of the COVID-disrupted season.
Kaminsky played in the minor leagues for the Phillies and the Mariners until the end of the 2023 season. The Mariners reacquired him in June 2024 and he became a free agent at the end of the season. The Cardinals signed Kaminsky to a minor league contract this February and released him on June 2.
July 31, 2010 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired RHP Jake Westbrook from Cleveland in a three-team trade with the Padres. The Cardinals sent OF Ryan Ludwick to the Padres.
July 31, 2011 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired SS Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers for OF Alex Castellanos.
July 31, 2014 – On this day, the Cardinals traded RHP Joe Kelly and OF Allen Craig to the Boston Red Sox for Ps John Lackey and Corey Littrell.
July 31, 2015 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired RHP Jonathan Broxton from the Brewers for minor league OF Malik Collymore.
July 31, 2016 – On this date, the Cardinals acquired LHP Zach Duke from the White Sox for OF Charlie Tilson.
July 31, 2018 – On this date, the Cardinals traded OF Tommy Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays for LHP Genesis Cabrera, RHP Roel Ramirez, and OF Justin Williams.
August 2, 2001 – On this date, the Cardinals traded OF Ray Lankford and cash to the Padres for RHP Woody Williams.
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