Pair Of Cardinals Stars In Jeopardy To Be Traded If Club Can't Remain Hot

St. Louis likely needs to keep winning to keep these players

Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals looked like a team destined to be sellers at the trade deadline for a second consecutive season after a painfully disappointing start to 2024.

After winning 13 of their last 16 games, the future no longer appears so dark and some are beginning to wonder if the Cardinals can end up looking to buy this summer -- even possibly reuniting with a former St. Louis hurler.

The trade deadline of July 30 is still two months away and a lot can go wrong from now till then. If the Cardinals can't stay hot and keep winning, there might be a pair of star players who'll be playing for different teams by the end of the season.

"But this is a team that needs to try again in terms of overhauling its starting rotation while potentially considering trade offers for (Paul) Goldschmidt and closer Ryan Helsley if it doesn't go on a heater in the coming weeks," Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly wrote Thursday.

Goldschmidt becomes a free agent after this winter and has struggled at 37 years old this season. Considering how expensive re-signing him would be combined with his age, it might be best to entertain trade offers and look ahead to the future.

However, over Goldschmidt's last seven games, he's logged a .321/.387/.750 slash line with three home runs, nine hits and six RBIs in 28 at-bats. It'll be tough to deal the seven-time All-Star away, especially if he continues to hit the way he has recently.

Helsley is under club control through 2025 but there are already a plethora of potential playoff contenders looking to trade for him to bolster their bullpen before heading into the months before the postseason.

The flamethrower has been one of the most dominant closers this season and would likely give the Cardinals a haul of high-quality prospects if traded.

It'll be interesting to see where the Cardinals go from here. Hopefully, St. Louis can continue to win and set themselves up as buyers instead of sellers at the deadline.

More MLB: Cardinals High-Leverage Hurler Reportedly Facing Season-Ending Surgery