The St. Louis Cardinals may be slowing down a bit after a red-hot month of May. They remain six games above .500, however, and currently hold the third National League Wild Card spot.
The team has at least played themselves into buyer's territory with the trade deadline approaching soon. They were not expected to be in this position at the start of the 2025 season.
One player that could be on the trading block is Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. Zachary D. Rymer even put together a trade package that would send Duran to St. Louis for prospects J.J. Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews.
However, Rymer noted that this trade is highly unlikely to happen.
"Ah, but would the Cardinals really trade their two best prospects at a time when the organization is supposed to be game-planning for the future? One doubts it, in which case there might not be a deal to be made here," Rymer wrote.
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Duran is hitting .273/.318/.424 with four home runs, 35 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a .743 OPS. He could significantly boost the Cardinals lineup.
However, the Cardinals also have an eye on the future, and getting rid of Mathews and Wetherholt wouldn't make sense. They also already have a lot of left-handed hitters in their organization.
If they are going to target offensive upgrades at the deadline, it would make more sense for them to go after a right-handed hitter to balance out their lefty-heavy lineup.
It's also not a guarantee that they will be buying this year at the deadline. They have plenty of pieces on expiring contracts that fellow contenders may want.
But a Duran deal is highly unlikely. We'll see which way they lean at the trade deadline.
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