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CHICAGO -- Two showdowns loom for the Cardinals in the coming weeks. First, they face the division-leading Chicago Cubs for the first time with a four-game series at Busch Stadium..

Second, they face themselves at the trade deadline.

Hall of Fame broadcaster and fixture on Cardinals' radio Mike Claiborne joins the Best Podcast in Baseball for his annual appearance around Flag Day. Claiborne has long argued that Flag Day is the first day to check the standings are start making plans on what kind of team the Cardinals are going to be. This year's time might take a little longer, but Claiborne tells baseball writer and BPIB host Derrick Goold what he already knows about the 2025 'transition' club.

Claiborne and Goold also discuss what the Cardinal can aim to get in return at the trade deadline if the upcoming series against the Cubs point them in the direction of selling.

That is if they can fight their tendency for straddling the fence -- never all-in and hesitant to drop out.

The podcast was recorded on the South Side of Chicago at Rate Field before another postponed game due to rain forced the Cardinals into their sixth doubleheader of the season.

In its 13th season as one of the most-popular and longest-running Cardinals-centric podcasts, the Best Podcast in Baseball is sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis. BPIB is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.