The St. Louis Cardinals made some changes on Wednesday. Chairman and owner Bill DeWitt Jr. passed the CEO title down to his son, Bill DeWitt III, who previously served as the club president. Anuk Karunaratne was elevated to president of business operations.
As the Cardinals discussed this transition and the start of a new era, the club’s leadership group was asked about the trade deadline and where things currently stand. Chaim Bloom reiterated his desire to stick with the current plan, but DeWitt Jr. gave some insight into what fans can expect at the trade deadline and made clear that chasing rental players is not their goal this summer.
“We’re a draft and build organization,” DeWitt said. “When the Trading Deadline comes up, teams have a tendency to [think] ‘Well, if I get one more guy, I’ll give them two of my draft choices, then I can make the playoffs.’ That’s kind of not our model.
“We’ll obviously engage at the Deadline, but it will not be for a two-month hopeful. It will be a good reason to make the deal, regardless of where we happen to be.”
Cardinals Won’t Chase Rentals
This does not fully confirm what the Cardinals are going to do at the deadline, but DeWitt did send a clear message about what to expect. The Cardinals are not going to be giving up prospects for two-month rentals. They will be sticking to their plan.
Adding players on expiring contracts isn’t how they are going to operate this year. This does not mean that the Cardinals will not add to their club, but it does mean that if they do, they will be looking for players who fit the long-term goals rather than chasing success in the short-term.
Bloom himself has stated that he is not looking to chase short-term success and put that before the long-term plan.
So, it’s ultimately clear what the Cardinals want to do this season. They want to remain focused on the task at hand rather than deviate from their plans. The new focus and departure from previous president of baseball operations John Mozeliak’s methods have clearly worked in their favor this season, and it has helped bring life back to the fanbase and the ballclub as a whole.
A lot has gone right for the Cardinals thus far, so it will be interesting if they can keep this up as the rest of the season plays out.
What Will the Cardinals Do?
While DeWitt didn’t confirm exactly what the Cardinals will do, there are three possible outcomes. They could buy as long as they chase players who have a few years of club control. They could also stand pat and leave the roster as it is.
However, buying for the future will be hard, and they do have several players on expiring contracts, including right-hander Dustin May. He is their top trade candidate, and it seems very likely that he and other tradable pieces will be shipped out at the deadline.
This means that selling might be the most realistic option for the Cardinals despite their success.
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