MLB Rumors: 2 St. Louis Cardinals Named As Top Trade Candidates

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a nice start to the 2026 season, as their 14-10 record demonstrates. However, with the Cardinals being focused on the future, the expectation is that they will be sellers once we get closer to the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

Due to the Cardinals being in a rebuild, two of their players are now creating chatter in the rumor mill as prime trade candidates.

In a recent article for ESPN, David Schoenfield named Riley O'Brien and Dustin May as two trade candidates to keep an eye on from the Cardinals.

If O'Brien is made available by the Cardinals this season, he would generate plenty of interest around the league. The 6-foot-4 righty has had a strong start to the 2026 season, as he has a 3-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in 13 games. This is after he had a 3-1 record and a 2.06 ERA in 42 games last season for the Cardinals. With numbers like these, he is exactly the kind of reliever that contenders will be looking to bring in.

As for May, he could also be a popular target ahead of the deadline. The 6-foot-6 righty had a tough start to the season, but he has only allowed one run in each of his last three starts. If he keeps this kind of play up, teams looking for starting pitching help very well could pursue him near the deadline. This is especially so when noting that he has a World Series ring.