St. Louis Cardinals: Mozeliak showcasing talent ahead of trades

The St. Louis Cardinals demoted one player on Wednesday and promoted another young talent. This double-edged move affords more than time for a starter to work on some issues.

The St. Louis Cardinals must decided to be buyers or sellers as the trade deadline approaches. That horse is well dead but will bear the beating until a decision is made. In the wake of this decision-need, GM Mozeliak demoted Aledmys Diaz on Wednesday and promoted Alex Mejia.

This move was centrally focused on Diaz who has had a rough time of late. Diaz has committed errors that are unthinkable and have lead to or contributed to losses. In addition to his struggles on the field, Diaz hasn’t seemed like the same batter at the plate. This optioning should afford him time to, “get his mind right.”

Additionally, this move could spell a position change for Diaz. Rumors had circulated that the St. Louis Cardinals were kicking the tires on Adeiny Hechavarria, the short stop from the Miami Marlins. Hechavarria ultimately landed with the Rays but could this interest show a desire to “relocate” Diaz on the Cardinals diamond?

Diaz has yet to make a AAA start since the demotion so time will tell if the Cardinals start experimenting with him on the diamond. To that extent, it might make the most sense to work him at third base- a position he has fielded in fifty-four games in foreign and fall-league play- or to second- a position he has played in eight games across foreign, fall-league, and minor-league play.

Buoying to the majors in a corresponding move was yet another prospect that Mozeliak, in my opinion, is showcasing: Alex Mejia. Prior to Mejia, Mozeliak has displayed the likes of Magneuris Sierra, Paul DeJong (who seems to have “stuck” with the MLB team in response to Kolten Wong‘s injury), Mike Mayers, and- most recently- Luke Voit.

Here’s a look at Mejia’s offensive stats:

And here’s a look at Mejia’s defensive numbers:

Notice that for the past three season, Mejia has bounced between AA and AAA. This was due to his abilities as well as him being blocked from promotion thanks to the likes of Diaz, Jhonny Peralta/Jedd Gyorko (since he can play third), Wong/Gyorko/Greg Garcia (since he can play second).

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What does this all say, then? If we look at the three names listed above, Mozeliak seems to be showing the rest of Major League Baseball a few of the prospects who could be included as “pork” contributions for trades. While these names are not likely to be front-runners in any deal, they could well spice up another team’s interest in what the St. Louis Cardinal might be asking.

These names also tell me that Mozeliak is protecting other notable prospects and not allowing them to show just how MLB-ready they may or may not be. These include, in my opinion at least, Carson Kelly (who should, IMO, 100% be playing in St. Louis right now), Harrison Bader, Luke Weaver, and Jack Flaherty.

Oh, and lest we forget that the “demotion” of Diaz could well also spell protection for him. For all we know, teams have called Mozeliak asking on Diaz and Mo isn’t interested in selling this piece (at least not yet with his value low thanks to performance).

St. Louis Cardinals: Likely trade partner teams to consider

The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in a tailspin of a season which was surely not what was planned. Now is the time to find suitors for trades.

While we may not know what moves are being made or are in the works, my gut simply tells me that the promotion of these names is a parade of talent for other teams’ benefits. True, the St. Louis Cardinals could well benefit from the rise of sparking talent, but the timing just feels too much like the M.O. of Mo. Thanks for reading!