Overview of St. Louis Cardinals in the second half of the season
The St. Louis Cardinals, currently on the outside looking in for the National League Wild Card, are gearing up for a challenging second half of the 2025 MLB season. With 22 games remaining, the Cardinals will face off against Wild Card contenders 10 times, including seven games against the San Diego Padres and three games against the San Francisco Giants [1].
The Cardinals' second half begins with a six-game road trip, including visits to Chase Field (vs. Arizona Diamondbacks) and Coors Field (vs. Colorado Rockies) [1][3]. Although the initial road trip marks a challenging start, the team's overall second-half fixture is considered 3.8% more difficult than the MLB average, due to lower opponent scoring environments and fewer visits to hitter-friendly ballparks [1].
Key dates and matchups for the Cardinals include the second half start with the immediate road trip at Chase Field and Coors Field, followed by no indication of an especially soft or forgiving stretch in their schedule [1]. Additionally, the team does not appear to have a concentrated run of home games late in the season, which could make a late push more challenging.
In light of the tougher slate and current injury concerns, the Cardinals may be active at the July 31 trade deadline. Potential scenarios include rotation help, bullpen depth, impact hitter, and selling scenarios if the team falls further behind in the Wild Card race [5]. If the Cardinals remain in contention, expect them to add pitching and possibly a bat to address injuries and the challenging schedule ahead [1][5].
The Cardinals' approach at the trade deadline will likely be shaped by their performance out of the gate. If they fade, they may sell; if they remain in contention, expect them to add pitching and possibly a bat to bolster their roster [1][5].
Notable series for the Cardinals include a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers from August 4th through the 6th and a three-game series against the New York Yankees from August 15th through the 17th [2]. The Cardinals' final series of the season will be against the Cubs in Chicago from September 26th through September 28th [2].
The trade deadline for Major League Baseball is scheduled for July 31 at 6 P.M. ET, and spots are expected to open up on the Cardinals' roster if they don't stay in postseason contention before the end of July [4]. The Cincinnati Reds are just one game behind the Cardinals in the National League Central standings [6].
Currently, the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres hold the National League Wild Card spots, while the Chicago Cubs lead the National League Central division with a record of 60-38 [6]. The San Francisco Giants are just a half game back of the San Diego Padres for the final National League Wild Card spot [6].
The Cardinals ended the first half of the season with a record of 51-46 [6]. Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, Steven Matz, Erick Fedde, and Nolan Arenado are potential trade candidates if the Cardinals fall out of playoff contention [7].
References: [1] MLB.com. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals Second-Half Schedule Overview. Retrieved from https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/st-louis-cardinals-second-half-schedule-overview [2] ESPN. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals Schedule. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/stl [3] Arizona Diamondbacks. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks. Retrieved from https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/schedule/st-louis-cardinals [4] St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report. Retrieved from https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/st-louis-cardinals/st-louis-cardinals-injury-report/article_181891e0-d00c-518b-81b5-e79f71e171d6.html [5] MLB Trade Rumors. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals Trade Deadline Preview. Retrieved from https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/st-louis-cardinals-trade-deadline-preview.html [6] Baseball-Reference. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals. Retrieved from https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2025.shtml [7] MLB Trade Rumors. (2025). St. Louis Cardinals Trade Candidates. Retrieved from https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/st-louis-cardinals-trade-candidates.html
The Cardinals are expected to encounter a challenging second half of the 2025 MLB season, with 10 games against Wild Card contenders, including the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. In light of the tougher schedule and current injury concerns, the Cardinals may be active at the July 31 trade deadline, potentially adding rotation help, bullpen depth, impact hitter, or even considering selling scenarios if they fall further behind in the Wild Card race.
