The St. Louis Cardinals must balance long-term interests and near-term contention leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. That's a challenging needle to thread, but the current realities in St. Louis are such that they must do so.

These St. Louis Cardinals players are entering their final week with the team as the MLB trade deadline approaches.

The St. Louis Cardinals are in an interesting position ahead of the trade deadline, but the players they look to trade might not be on board.