The St. Louis Cardinals enter the trade deadline with a ton of directions that they can go. Not only can they move on from expiring contracts, but they also have some controllable players who are popular on the market. MLB insider Jon Morosi reported that Alec Burleson is “one of the most popular controllable bats on the trade market.”
Controlled through 2028, Burleson provides an all-around left-handed bat to any lineup for at least two seasons. A slash line of .290/.343/.459 last season with 18 home runs was no fluke. This season, the Cardinals first baseman is slashing .284/.347/.458 with 15 home runs.
Alec Burleson’s Future
Burleson is projecting to get an extension in the near future, or at least a good-sized payday on the open market. It is up to Chaim Bloom to make the decision on whether or not he is a part of the next great Cardinals team.
Will Burleson be around by the time the Cardinals are competitive again? With the team on track and the prospects moving up the ranks, the Cardinals could be looking at the early stages of a contending team in 2028. Burleson’s team control runs out at the end of the 2028 campaign; with no extension in place, the Cardinals have to make the call on his future. If the front office believes he is a part of that contending core, Burleson should get an extension in the near future; if he’s not, then he might go the way of Brendan Donovan.
Bloom moved Donovan in the offseason this year, seeing that his time was running out in St. Louis. Not only did the move of Donovan open the door for JJ Wetherholt to join the big league roster, but it also proved that the Cardinals believed Donovan would not be on the roster at the time of the Cardinals’ next championship window.
Who is a part of the Cardinals’ future?
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported that the St. Louis Cardinals are open to conversations for everyone except Wetherholt and Jordan Walker. That pair looks like the two cornerstones of the Cardinals franchise for years to come. Wetherholt has already received an extension in his rookie campaign, and the breakout of Walker looks like it should lead to one of his own.
Bloom is no stranger to making the unforeseen trade; he traded Mookie Betts when he was heading the Boston Red Sox front office. If Bloom is given a package that will set the Cardinals’ path to a World Series contender in the future for anyone on the roster, it will be a tough decision.
The trade deadline is upon us and Bloom has one final shot this season to capitalize on value and set the course that he wants the Cardinals to be on.
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