7/10 17:44: Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said he would never contemplate trading Albert Pujols despite him being a free agent after the 2011 season.

DeWitt adds that the team is willing to take on pay if it was something that would improvie the club. DeWitt adds, “My sense is that we would tend to shy from a “rental” deal that requires us to give up a ton of talent. Dollars is one thing; talent is another. Talent is harder to get. Everybody wants young talent that is either close or is already big-league ready. Those kind of players are hard to get and hard to give up.”

Information from Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was used in this article.

7/10 09:52: According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are looking for starting pitching and middle infield help before the July 31st trade deadline, but management wants to take into account the personality impact the player will have on the team.

“When you think about our clubhouse personality, you think ‘businesslike.’ I would use the word ‘professional.’ I think we could use a true ice-breaker at times,” GM John Mozeliak said. “I think sometimes a level of tension develops. You play 162 games with the same group of guys from February to hopefully late October, sometimes you have to be able to take a step back.”

Examples of positive additions to the team, not only on the field but also in the clubhouse include Mark Derosa’s acquisition in June 2009 and Will Clarks addition in 2000.

In regards to starting pitching, the team has been reluctant to take on a contract beyond one-year, so pitchers like Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren are all but eliminated. Second-tier pitcher such as the Cleveland Indians Jake Westbrook or the Baltimore Orioles Kevin Millwood could work.