The St. Louis Cardinals are coming out of the All-Star Break with more momentum than anyone in baseball! Between Jordan Walker’s historic, ice-water-in-the-veins Home Run Derby performance and rookie phenom JJ Wetherholt signing a historic eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension, the "rebuild" narrative is officially dead.

On this episode of Cardinals on My Time, host Scott Plaza is joined by Daniel Shoptaw (@C70 / Meet Me at Musial) and Ethan Hannaford (STL Sports Central) to break down if the Cardinals are ready to make a serious postseason push. We look at the "Core Four" of St. Louis' future, analyze Chaim Bloom's upcoming trade deadline strategy, and dissect a starting rotation that has exceeded expectations. Should the Cardinals sell high on Dustin May, or is this rotation built to sustain a run through September with a highly favorable 2nd-half schedule?

Drop your second-half predictions in the comments! How many wins do the Cardinals finish with, and what is Chaim Bloom's biggest trade deadline move?

– Welcome back & Guest Introductions (C70 & Ethan Hannaford)– JJ Wetherholt’s historic $112.5M contract extension– Jordan Walker’s home run derby victory: Is he the undisputed face of the franchise?– Walker vs. Wetherholt: Designing the co-faces of St. Louis baseball– Comparing the young Cardinals core to the mid-2010s Cubs World Series formula– Postseason or bust? Redefining expectations with the 22nd-ranked strength of schedule remaining– Starting Rotation Check-in: Liberatore, Leahy, and Pallante's stabilization– The Dustin May Dilemma: Sell-high at the deadline or ride it out?– Michael McGreevy’s bulldog mentality and outperforming his Savant page– 2nd Half Primer: Can this young pitching staff survive?– Outro & Where to find the guests

When is the future arriving in St. Louis? With the MLB Trade Deadline looming and the Draft just days away, we are executing a full audit of the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league system.

Host Scott Plaza is joined by Thomas Gauvain (Redbird Rants) and Tyler (Redbird Farmhands) to discuss the standout prospects forcing management's hand and who might be used as prime trade chips.

On this episode, we discuss:

• Joshua Baez’s Historic June: 10 home runs and a ticket to the big leagues by September?

• The Pitching Pipeline: Luis Gastelum's absurd scoreless streak, Quinn Mathews' zero-walk dominance, and what's going on with Tink Hence's velocity.

• Trade Deadline Strategy: Dealing from areas of depth (like catcher Ryan Campos) to address the organization's long-term corner infield holes.

• MLB Draft Preview: Analyzing the Cardinals' strategy with 6 picks in the top 86, and who makes sense for St. Louis at Pick 13 (AJ Gracia, Chris Hacopian, and more).

Timestamps:

• 02:30 – Joshua Baez Analysis

• 07:50 – Luis Gastelum & Triple-A Bullpen Depth

• 08:40 – Quinn Mathews, Bryson Mautz, & Tink Hence Updates

• 15:30 – Catcher Depth & Ryan Campos Trade Value

• 22:00 – Solving the Third Base Hole

• 35:00 – Pick 13 & MLB Draft Targets

Resources:Find daily minor league breakdowns at milbtoday.com. Follow our guests on X at @ThomasGauvain2 and @RedbirdFarmhand for consistent Cardinals prospect coverage and live draft streams!

Should the St. Louis Cardinals buy or sell at the 2026 MLB trade deadline? Porque no los dos? On this episode of Cardinals on My Time, host Scott Plaza is joined by Caleb Noble (Hard Nine Podcast), AJ Stone (Just Baseball Media), and Matthew Blaker to tackle the messiest trade deadline in recent memory.

The guys dive deep into the recent front-office transition to Bill DeWitt III, Chaim Bloom's telling press conference comments, and whether "just getting into the postseason" is enough for this young core. Then, they play a high-stakes game of "Confidence Out of 10" on which players are good as gone by late July.

On the chopping block:

• Will the Cardinals capitalize on Dustin May's insane trade value?

• Is it time to pull the trigger on a Lars Nootbaar or Nolan Gorman trade?

• Why Andre Pallante might be the ultimate "sell-high" candidate.

• Plus, surprise targets like Royce Lewis and the future of the "Tarps Off" fan section at Busch Stadium.

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