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The St. Louis Cardinals are lingering around in the National League playoff race this season, but they still decided that this version of the roster wasn't going to be enough to compete for a title.
St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak sprung into full rebuild mode at the deadline, offloading star closer Ryan Helsley, standout reliever Phil Maton and quality starter Steven Matz for a heap of prospects that should set the Cardinals up well for the future.
While that may seem like a lot to give away, the damage arguably could have been worse. Starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas as well as first baseman Willson Contreras all refused to waive their no-trade clauses that could have sent them elsewhere at the deadline, 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,” Nightengale reported.
Plenty of teams across the league were desperate for starting pitching help, so Gray and Mikolas certainly could have been moved elsewhere if they wanted to be.
Contreras also would have been coveted as an everyday player who has been one of the most consistent cogs in the Cardinals machine this season. He leads the team with 15 home runs on the year and also has played a team-high 106 games, but it appears he prefers to stay in St. Louis rather than be traded to a contender.
Now, the three of them are all going to be in St. Louis for the long haul as the Cardinals continue to pursue a playoff spot even without three of their best arms. While they are hovering at .500 at the moment at 56-56, that is likely not going to crack the postseason in a stacked National League, so St. Louis will need to go on a big run during the back half of the season.
