Even with how things are going right now for the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s impossible to say that the 2021 trade deadline was exactly what fans wanted. Coming into the end of July, the Cardinals clearly needed starting pitching and could’ve used bullpen help or a bench bat.
On deadline day, fans only got the two pitchers now having success in the Cardinals’ rotation, Jon Lester and J.A. Happ. As much as those two acquisitions have worked out as well as the various waiver claims John Mozeliak has made, it was still a disappointment.
At the time of the trade, both Lester and Happ were very aptly described as “DFA fodder” even while pitching on the Nationals and Twins.