The St. Louis Cardinals have stumbled out of the All-Star break, and their slow start to the second half has significantly changed the outlook for the remainder of the season.
After dropping six of their first eight games following the break, St. Louis has slipped to 52-51 and now finds itself more than two games behind the final National League Wild Card spot. While the Cardinals have exceeded preseason expectations for much of the year, their recent skid could dramatically influence their strategy ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Not long ago, there was legitimate debate over whether the Cardinals might add talent at the deadline after remaining in postseason contention. However, with the club now on the outside looking in, a major buying spree appears increasingly unlikely—especially considering the organization entered 2026 expecting to begin a long-term rebuild.
Regardless of whether the Cardinals ultimately buy or sell, one move that could strengthen the roster without sacrificing future assets would be promoting top pitching prospect Quinn Mathews.
The 25-year-old left-hander has been dominant at Triple-A Memphis and continued his outstanding campaign with a career-best performance in his latest outing. Mathews struck out a season-high 10 batters while matching his longest start of the year at seven innings, allowing only one unearned run against Durham.
MLB.com’s Max Ralph highlighted Mathews’ continued excellence, noting that the Cardinals’ No. 7 prospect is making an increasingly strong case for a major league promotion. The reigning 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year owns an outstanding 1.59 ERA across his last 10 starts and a 3.13 ERA overall this season. During that stretch, he has surrendered more than three hits only once, while his 111 strikeouts in 19 starts lead all Cardinals minor leaguers.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Mathews has climbed through the Cardinals’ farm system at an impressive pace. The hard-throwing left-hander established himself as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects after recording more than 200 strikeouts in 2024, and he has continued refining his game this season.
With the possibility that St. Louis could move veteran pitchers before the trade deadline, the club may soon have an opening in its rotation. Calling up Mathews would not only provide another quality left-handed option but also allow one of the organization’s most promising young arms to gain valuable major league experience while helping the Cardinals remain competitive during the final stretch of the season.