As Cardinals start to shed payroll, the Blue Jays could approach them in trade talks

The St. Louis Cardinals reside in an amazing baseball city and have some of the best fans in Major League Baseball. They are one of the more successful franchises in baseball. In the present day, however, a new reality seems to be sinking in: The Cardinals need to reboot the computer that had been responsible for much of their past success.

Last month, MLB.com's John Denton reported on the latest positioning in this direction. The club declined their 2025 options on pitchers Lance Lynn, Keynan Middleton and Kyle Gibson. Why would you cut loose two starters who could at bare minimum eat innings? It's part of a larger strategy that Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak is implementing to give as much opportunity to younger players.

"Really, it's just about positioning ourselves this offseason for ultimate flexibility,” said Mozeliak, who is planning on retiring following the 2025 season, per Denton. “Going into next year, we still have Miles [Mikolas], Sonny [Gray], [Steven] Matz, [Erick] Fedde, Pallante and McGreevy knocking on the door. So, we feel like we have some depth there."

Since the Cardinals lost the 2013 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, they have made the postseason six times, advancing as far as the NLCS twice, losing once in the NLDS and only winning one game in any of their three Wild Card series. In the last two seasons, the Cardinals have failed to make the playoffs at all. 2023 was especially awful as they finished dead last in a typically mediocre NL Central. In 2024, they rebounded slightly, but still finished a full six games back of a Wild Card spot in the National League.

With Mozeliak stepping aside and former Rays and Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom set to take over the reins, change is afoot in Missouri. Can two of the few "bird" clubs get together this winter and make some trades to improve the fortunes of each other?

A surprising name to fill a spot already accounted for?

You may be thinking the Blue Jays are pretty set in the rotation and instead need more help in the bullpen. Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith is reporting that the Jays may target starting pitching this winter and who better than a recent Cy Young winner? The 34-year-old Gray won a Cy Young as recently as 2023 when he posted a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. He then landed a multiyear deal worth $75M from the Red Birds that will run through 2026.

Gray finished this year with a 13-9 record, a 3.84 ERA and a 1.088 WHIP in 166.1 innings. Those numbers are slightly above his career 3.51 ERA. Gray is definitely on the back end of his career and shouldn't be counted on as an ace.

The Blue Jays could get St. Louis to eat some of the money remaining and use Gray to help the Blue Jays bridge the transition as Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman reach the end of their time in Toronto. Who better to whisper in Bowden Francis' ear than a pitcher like Gray who has spent 12 years in baseball?

Ryan Helsley will be a very popular trade candidate for a lot of clubs, no less the Blue Jays. Truthfully, other members of the St. Louis bullpen like JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez should be at the forefront of talks because of their multiple years of control and stout production.

Helsley has just one more year of team control and notched 49 saves for the Cardinals last season. In all, he posted a 7-4 record, a 2.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts. The Blue Jays definitely have problems in the bullpen and Jordan Romano may not be the favored candidate to close games at the moment. Helsley can fill a number of roles and should provide plenty of hard-throwing stuff to the late innings of the Jays pen.

Turning to the position player front, Brendan Donovan is an ideal fit for a Blue Jays team that loves itself some versatility. He suited up at multiple different spots on the baseball diamond last season, mostly in the outfield though. Jokes aside, his 3.2 fWAR was the highest of his career and he posted a sterling 6 OAA this season while shuffling around mostly in left field.

Donovan is arbitration-eligible this winter and is due to become a free agent in 2028. Really, this is a fantastic player that will take a lot for the Blue Jays to pry him away. It's still worth a call and you never know what happens.

Finally, can the Blue Jays actually pry the soon-to-be 34-year-old Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals? He could definitely solve their long-standing third base hole from a defensive standpoint (10 Gold gloves). There is still plenty of money owed over the next three seasons, but this is a player who has hit .269 with a .746 OPS over the last two seasons. It may be impossible logistically if the California native prefers to stay close to home and/or play for a team ready to win.

The Blue Jays and Cardinals can be active partners this winter. The teams have paired up on trades in the recent past, and both front offices will need to get creative to improve the fortunes of their roster. Armchair general managers could have a lot of fun analyzing these two clubs.