Cardinals staying ‘fluid’ and ‘open-minded’ as deadline looms

DENVER — St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stated he’s getting an elevated variety of telephone calls because the MLB commerce deadline approaches.

For a Cardinals crew that seemed to be a possible postseason contender within the season’s first half, that is not a constructive signal in regards to the crew’s path.

St. Louis is simply 3-7 over its final 10 video games, and that features a three-game sweep by the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks to begin the second half of the season. The Cardinals entered Monday’s sequence opener in Denver in opposition to the Colorado Rockies 3.5 video games out of the ultimate Nationwide League wild-card spot and at 51-49 total, sitting in fourth place within the NL Central.

“Clearly, the place we’re within the standings positively impacts our decision-making transferring ahead within the buying and selling deadline. So taking part in these three video games (in Arizona after the All-Star break) and shedding all three just isn’t useful,” Mozeliak stated. “Clearly, we needed to return out of the break have a constructive begin to it. We did not.

“In order we mirror on actually what’s finest for the group, there’s the lengthy assessment. Are there selections that we will make that might higher situate the franchise in ’26 and past? So clearly, we’ve a whole lot of gamers that folks have curiosity in, and we’ve to kind by way of all that earlier than we make a willpower precisely what a situation would seem like.”

Mozeliak stated that the choice about how a lot the Cardinals will promote (and if in any respect) remains to be “fluid” and the franchise is staying “open-minded” about what might occur between now and July 31 at 6 p.m. EST.

“Clearly the weekend was not what we needed to see,” Mozeliak stated. “Now we have to grasp what the long run seems to be like.”

That future might embrace one with out All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado. Below contract by way of the 2027 season and armed with a no-trade clause, Arenado rejected a trade to the Houston Astros based mostly on the timeline wanted to swing a deal.

Heading into the commerce deadline, Mozeliak stated he would have “a very good understanding” of the place Arenado stood on that, planning to speak to the third baseman about his commerce deadline ideas within the coming days.

Mozeliak indicated he would take heed to all provides on Arenado or different members of the roster.

“Clearly placing feelings apart, if one thing had been to make sense that permits us to really feel like we’re enhancing for the long run, then it is likely to be value a dialog,” he stated. “I do not know if any of that can exist or that’ll occur, however I do not need to put ourselves in a state of affairs the place we simply do not need to discover something.”