It stunned the entire baseball world when superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado began the 2025 season with the St. Louis Cardinals — a team widely expected to overhaul its roster after back-to-back disappointing campaigns. What once seemed like an inevitable rebuild has vanished, as the Cardinals have shown they’re serious contenders in the NL Central this year.
As of Monday, St. Louis sat just two games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs with a 30-23 record — good enough to currently occupy a National League Wild Card spot. With each passing game, it’s becoming more likely that the Cardinals are legitimate playoff contenders, which has significantly altered their approach to the trade deadline.
Rather than offloading talent, St. Louis is now in the market for reinforcements to strengthen their postseason bid. Arenado is officially off the trade block — but a former top prospect could soon be on it.
Jordan Walker is perfect trade bait for the Cardinals
Despite the Cardinals’ overall success, outfielder Jordan Walker has once again fallen short of expectations. The team had hoped the former No. 4 overall prospect would break out this season and solidify himself as a key piece of their future.
Instead, Walker is batting just .212 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. These struggles follow a disappointing 2024 campaign, so the Cardinals’ concerns aren’t based solely on his performance over 44 games this season.
That said, Walker is still young and has considerable upside, making him a potential trade chip as the deadline approaches. While it’s too early to pinpoint exactly what the Cardinals will target, it’s likely that Walker’s name will come up in at least one trade discussion.
Scouts remain intrigued by Walker’s raw power—his 6-foot-6, 250-pound build suggests there’s untapped potential.
However, given his lackluster production over the past two seasons, the Cardinals probably won’t fetch elite prospects or star players in return. Still, a team believing it can unlock Walker’s potential may be willing to offer a useful piece. The key question for St. Louis is whether making that kind of deal is worth the risk.
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