The 2026 season has been mostly fun for the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans, but things have changed in the month of July. They are 8-12 this month and have fallen out of a playoff spot. They are still 52-50 and close in the race, but they seem to be playing to their potential now.
The pitching staff has been their biggest issue this season. The bullpen has been overworked, and while the starting rotation has mostly held up, they haven’t gone deep enough into games. Meanwhile, the offense has also fallen flat.
However, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes St. Louis should be all in at the August 3 trade deadline and even pitched a potential reunion with 2013 NLCS MVP Michael Wacha.
“The Cardinals need to go for it and why not have a reunion with Wacha, who was drafted by St. Louis 12 years ago?” Bowden wrote.
“He’s controllable through 2027 with a team option for 2028 at a reasonable annual salary ($18 million this year and $14 million each of the next two years). An AL All-Star, Wacha has a 3.66 ERA in 125 1/3 innings.”
Insider Pitches Michael Wacha Reunion for St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals drafted Wacha in 2012 as a compensation pick after they lost Albert Pujols in free agency the previous offseason. He was with St. Louis until 2019 and obviously played a big role in getting them to the World Series in 2013.
The 35-year-old right-hander was a fan favorite in St. Louis and helped bring some unforgettable moments to Busch Stadium, including two near no-hitters. Fans would likely be open to the idea of a reunion with Wacha, and he does fill a need in their starting rotation. He can cover innings and can also be trusted in the postseason.
However, the Cardinals are clearly falling apart. Their early success this year was not sustainable, and they don’t have the pieces to go on a run after making several trades last offseason.
The Kansas City Royals will also be demanding a return of some highly rated prospects if they do move Wacha, and that is the only condition in which they will. The Cardinals are simply not in a position to part with top prospects right now, despite how far their farm system has come over the past few years with Chaim Bloom’s work.
More pitching depth down in the minors is something the Cardinals still need, and they may have to give some of what they have up in order to get Wacha back to St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals Must Not Abandon Chaim Bloom’s Plan
Several times since taking over for John Mozeliak, Bloom has made clear that the Cardinals are prioritizing the future and won’t take shortcuts to make the rebuild quicker.
Ultimately, fans hoping for this are going to have to be patient. A rebuild is generally a long process, and it’s going to take time for the Cardinals to be back to where they were before falling on hard times.
Hopes of reaching the postseason are slim for this team.
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