MLB insider predicts Cardinals could refrain from selling at deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals got off to a slow start and had a record of 14-19 early in the month of May. However, things have changed.

After falling to 14-19, the team went on a nine-game winning streak, and they have now won 12 of their last 13 games.

The Cardinals are also just one game behind the first place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central and could very soon find themselves in the top spot if they continue at this pace.

Buster Olney of ESPN recently made predictions about what teams will do at the trade deadline. He noted that the Cardinals may not be sellers after all.

"They've communicated to other teams that even if they aren't a front-runner, they might keep their tradable players in what is the last season of John Mozeliak's tenure as head of baseball operations."

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If the Cardinals are winning and still in the race at the deadline, then it is likely that they will hold onto players rather than sell them. Still, it would make sense to at least listen to offers on pitchers such as Ryan Helsley, who could fetch a solid number of promising prospects.

The Cardinals were not expected to contend this season, and they have since bounced back into the race. While there is still time left in the season, they aren't showing any signs of slowing down, and they could ultimately look to buy rather than sell, even though the roster is set up well to be a seller if they fall out of contention.

Other tradable pieces include Phil Maton, Steven Matz, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas. But if they stay in the fight, expect most, if not all of their tradable pieces to remain in St. Louis.

They'll be an interesting team to watch at the deadline. We'll see where things stand at that point.

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