 With Burleigh Grimes succeeding Stengel as the Dodgers'manager after the 1936 season, the Dodgers sold Bordagaray, Jimmy Jordan and Dutch Leonard to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of an off-season shakeup; it was seen as the completion of an August 1 trade in which the Dodgers acquired Tom Winsett from the Cardinals. With the Cardinals, Bordagaray batted .293 with a .331 OBP and .367 SLG during the 1937 season. His 11 stolen bases were eighth best in the NL. With the 1938 Cardinals, Bordagaray was used mostly as a bench player, as Enos Slaughter joined the team, playing in the outfield with Joe Medwick, Terry Moore, and Martin, and Art Garibaldi was set to play third base. Bordagaray batted .282 with a .325 OBP and .327 SLG with only two steals in 1938. While a member of the Cardinals, Bordagaray played the washboard in Martin's "Mudcat Band".
