Any hopes of the St. Louis Cardinals making waves at the trade deadline just took a massive hit.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been heavily involved in trade rumors ahead of the MLB's Aug. 1 trade deadline, but a recent comment from President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak could throw cold water on any speculation.
Currently 25-37 on the season, the Cards are dead last in the NL Central. Another strong offensive campaign from reigning MVP Paul Goldschmidt hasn't been enough to salvage the wildly inconsistent collective.
Per Mozeliak, however, any growth will have to come from within.
Cardinals' John Mozeliak tosses cold water on trade deadline speculation
Many expected St. Louis to consider a full teardown, or at least a momentary reset. Even Goldschmidt was thought to potentially be on the trade block if things didn't improve. The Cards have lost eight of their last 10, but evidently the front office is still hoping this group can turn things around on its own.
Mozeliak's comments aren't completely unjustified. Stars like Willson Contreras are bound to have better days ahead. Meanwhile, injuries have ravaged the lineup and the bullpen. The Cards spent a lot of money in free agency and there's ample talent on the roster. Plenty of indicators, such as run differential and power hitting numbers, suggest the Cards are better than their record. At some point, however, we can't attribute their lack of success to bad luck and happenstance. If the wins don't start stacking up sooner than later, the season will get away from them.
"When things are going bad, I do think internally the pressures mount," Mozeliak told Katie Woo of the Athletic.
And he's right — player frustrations will bubble up, the coach's seat will get hot. It's not sustainable to feign competitive aspirations as the worst team in the National League. Mozeliak and the front office have less than two months to reconsider their stance before the deadline. If the gap between St. Louis and the wild card spots widens, Mozeliak could resign himself to thinking more long term.
"So that's a question that is coming up a lot, are we buying or selling? Right now, we're staying. We're holding. Ultimately, as we see the next four to six weeks develop, that might decide what we really do in the end. I hope we're actively trying to get better come July than looking to move talent." (via The Athletic)
There you have it: the goal is the be in a position to buy, not sell at the trade deadline. The next 4-to-6 weeks will determine the direction of the Cards' franchise. Can the players pull it together and power forward, or will everything come apart at the seams?
