St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong (11) makes a throw. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
With many St. Louis Cardinal youngsters showing they are ready to perform at the big league level now, some players are becoming trade bait.
Spring Training has been quite eventful for the St. Louis Cardinals. Many of the organization’s top prospects have come to camp ready to compete for a spot on the Major League roster.
Several mainstays to the Cardinals’ starting lineup and rotation are away from the team while competing in the World Baseball Classic. This has given many youngsters a more significant opportunity than they would typically get. Those youngsters are taking advantage.
Jordan Walker looks more than ready, making it almost impossible to keep him off the Opening Day Roster. And players like Masyn Winn, Tres Barrera, Gordon Graceffo, and Mike McGreevey are trying to impress their way into roles for the team. While it is terrific to have young stars emerging in critical areas, the team does have lingering concerns in other areas.
The main questions do remain about the starting rotation after this season. First, it will be essential to address the concern as soon as possible. Adam Wainwright will retire after this season and already has some velocity concerns. Wainwright will pitch Saturday for Team USA in the WBC. Miles Mikolas, also slated to launch in the WBC, is in the final year of his current contract with the team. Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery will be eligible for free agency for the first time after this season.
Steven Matz is the only starting pitcher signed past this season. Other pitchers that may be getting extra consideration include Dakota Hudson, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, and Connor Thomas. There are several internal options, but getting a veteran arm with some playoff experience would be great for the Cardinals.
With so many moving parts in the Cardinals system, who would be considered at the top of the trade block for the team?