Cards ship Maton to Rangers for pair of Minor League pitchers

ST. LOUIS –- The Cardinals' departing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak exited his team’s meeting room on Trade Deadline day for the final time on Thursday and immediately two thoughts came to mind.

First, there was a sense of relief that the frenzy before the Deadline -- one that saw the Cardinals trade away the expiring contracts of veteran relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton for six Minor League Players -- was complete. Also, Mozeliak said there was a tremendous sense of disappointment that the Cardinals weren’t in a position to add veteran talent -- instead of sending it elsewhere -- on his final Deadline while running the Cards' front office.

TRADE DETAILS

Cardinals get: RHP Skyler Hales, LHP Mason Molina, cash considerations (international bonus pool money)
Rangers get: RHP Phil Maton

“All deadlines, when you’re done, there’s a feeling of exhaustion and relief and this one’s no different,” said Mozeliak, who will cede control of the front office to Chaim Bloom following the current season. “I wish we were on the other side where we were looking to add instead of break up. But, ultimately, we had to do what was best for the organization and that part’s tough.

“Reflecting back on what we were able to accomplish, I hope it’s viewed in a positive way. Trades are not judged on the moment, but in time. But as I think back on my career, it’s hard to put into words what I’m thinking and feeling at the moment. The last 72 hours have been a blur, like most of us in baseball, but we’re just taking that deep breath now.”

Once nine games over .500 in late June and pushing for an NL Wild Card spot, the Cardinals struggled mightily in July and limped into Thursday’s off-day at 55-55. Whereas the Padres -- owners of the NL’s No. 3 Wild Card spot -- reloaded at the Trade Deadline by adding star closer Mason Miller, slugger Ryan O’Hearn and others, the Cardinals dramatically downsized a bullpen that has been the club’s strong suit throughout the season.

As fate would have it, the Cardinals face those Padres over the next three games starting on Friday night.

Mozeliak said he resisted the urge to trade some of the team's young left-handed hitters -- namely All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan, blossoming slugger Alec Burleson and injured hitters Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman -- because they never found deals to their liking.

“We got hit a lot [with trade offers] on our left-handed hitters, but we were not motivated to move hitters that we had under control unless we were -- to put it mildly -- blown away,” Mozeliak said. “And we just weren’t.”

With slightly more than a minute before Thursday’s deadline, the Cardinals shipped Maton, 32, to the Rangers for Minor League pitchers Skyler Hales and Mason Molina and International Draft pool money. Prior to the deal, the left-handed Molina was ranked No. 27 in the Texas system, while the right-handed Hales was No. 28.

The trade comes on the heels of the Cardinals dealing away two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley and hybrid reliever/starter Steven Matz on Wednesday night. The Cards received four Minor League players in those two deals, meaning they now have three roster spots to fill in their bullpen before Friday’s game in San Diego.

“It’s not a surprise what we did in the clubhouse, and players understood that we weren’t playing at the level we needed to be on the other side of the ledger, i.e., trying to add,” Mozeliak said. “The players we moved were obviously valuable pieces to our team and they will be missed. But sports, like all businesses, it’s all about opportunities and some individuals will get the opportunities that they haven’t been getting. We’ll see what they do with it. This year, we were trying to create that opportunity for some of our younger players and now they’re going to get more of that, and hopefully they run with it.”

Mozeliak had discussions with veterans Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras -- all owners of no-trade clauses in their contracts -- and they all expressed desires to remain in St. Louis –- just as they did prior to the season. Arenado’s decision could change by the offseason, with the Cardinals planning to delineate more third base playing time to Thomas Saggese and Gorman over the final two months of the season.

Molina, 22, was a seventh-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Brewers out of the University of Arkansas. This past season, while pitching at Class A and High-A, Molina was 3-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts). He struck out 92 batters in 74 innings. He will be ranked No. 26 on the Cardinals Top 30 prospects list, per MLB Pipeline.

Hales, 23, was 1-5 with a 7.64 ERA and five saves at Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. He’s thrown 33 innings over 34 outings and has struck out 40 with a fastball that usually sits between 94-97 mph.