4 sneaky Cardinals’ 2026 MLB trade deadline targets to chase

With the 2026 Major League season roughly halfway over, there is one glaringly surprising team contending in the National League. That squad is the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nobody expected this team to be good at all after they shed a ton of payroll over the last year and were thought to rebuild. While that may have been the case at the beginning of the season, the Red Birds started winning, and with a 42-35 record, good for the 6th-best record in the sport, they will be buyers at the trade deadline, barring a quick collapse.

There is a lot of baseball left to be played in 2026, but where things stand now, the Cardinals are expected to finish second or third in the NL Central division. The Chicago Cubs have not been playing good baseball as of late, and while the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing better than originally expected, the Cardinals have the edge right now.

The Red Birds could very well go out and add some talent to the roster amid a postseason push. The team needs starting pitching desperately, and maybe one more infield star to help propel a young offense.

Here are three starters and one third baseman that the Cardinals should target ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.

Zac Gallen

The return that nobody saw coming, Zac Gallen, back in St. Louis.

Gallen never pitched for the Red Birds but was involved in a massive trade early in his career alongside Sandy Alcantara that sent them to the Miami Marlins for Marcell Ozuna. Both pitchers have made a name for themselves; however, Gallen was quickly traded again from the Marlins to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Will Gallen get traded again? The odds are high, even though the Diamondbacks are playing well this season with a 40-39 record.

St. Louis should be all over Gallen if he is indeed on the market. He is just on a one-year deal, so he would be a rental, but Gallen would be a cheap trade option that could benefit both parties involved. Maybe Gallen finds a home in the place where he was drafted, after all.

Gallen owns a miserable 6.10 ERA in 79.2 innings this season.

Seth Lugo

If the Cardinals traded for Seth Lugo, this would assure that they mean business. Lugo has one year left on his deal for roughly $21 million, so he would not be a cheap target. The Kansas City Royals will certainly be open to trading either him or Michael Wacha, but Lugo makes more sense for the Cardinals. He’s been a phenomenal starter since moving to the rotation and has a ton of experience in the bullpen if that is where he would need to be for a postseason push.

Lugo owns a 3.69 ERA in 85.1 innings this season.

Jose Soriano

Nobody started the season hotter than Jose Soriano. He allowed only one run through his first 37.2 innings and became an instant target for many teams to go after. The Los Angeles Angels are once again having a miserable season and should be looking to sell some players at the deadline.

Soriano has two years of control left and could be a big part of the Cardinals’ future plans. He has a 3.03 ERA in 92 innings in 2026.

Matt Chapman

Matt Chapman might be the perfect piece to finish off the infield for the Cardinals. The biggest issue before mentioning anything else is that he has a full no-trade clause. Chapman would have to want to go to the Cardinals. With how bad the San Francisco Giants have been since he got there, there is a chance that he would accept a trade to a contending team. The third baseman is owed a lot of money, but the Cardinals desperately need someone at the hot corner, and there aren’t many better than Chapman.

Chapman is hitting .243 with seven home runs, 42 RBIs, and 17 doubles on the season. His OPS sits at .713. He would be a big upgrade to Blaze Jordan, who could DH and play first base with Chapman at third. Ivan Herrera has been the DH, but he can get more reps at catcher. The Cardinals can make this work.

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