The Cardinals managed to move three relievers at the trade deadline, but John Mozeliak had bigger plans for his final deadline as president of baseball operations. He wanted to deal six players total.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals “would have loved to move starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas, and first baseman Willson Contreras, too, but all three told the Cardinals they would not waive their no-trade clauses.”
That’s where things get tricky.
St. Louis successfully traded Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz – three relievers heading to free agency without no-trade protection. Those deals went through without a hitch.
But the Cardinals’ bigger retooling plans hit a wall when their three veteran stars exercised their contractual rights. Gray and Contreras still have multiple years remaining on their contracts, while Mikolas becomes a free agent after this season.
All three would’ve found plenty of interested buyers. Teams were actively seeking starting pitching help and first base upgrades at the deadline.
This isn’t new territory for the Cardinals, either. They’ve been dealing with no-trade clause roadblocks recently.
The organization already had a deal in place with the Houston Astros to send Nolan Arenado south, but he invoked his no-trade clause and stayed put. Now that he’s on the injured list, that opportunity’s probably gone for good.
It’s a tough spot for an organization trying to get younger and reshape the roster. Contreras and Gray especially would’ve brought back significant prospect packages, but their contract clauses gave them veto power over any potential moves.
The way I see it, this deadline shows just how much control veteran players have when they’ve negotiated the right protections. The Cardinals wanted to accelerate their retool, but three key veterans had other plans.
That doesn’t make missing out on those potential returns any easier to swallow for Mozeliak in his final deadline.
