St. Louis Cardinals: A week until the trade deadline

Is Tyler O’Neill part of the Cardinals future? Or is there another plan for him?

The St. Louis Cardinals made their first move of the trade season, sending Marco Gonzales to Seattle for big hitting prospect, Tyler O’Neill. This move comes as a surprise to folks who don’t understand the addition of another outfield bat to an organization already jam-packed with them. On the surface this deal seems confusing, but when you look deeper there seems to be something brewing.

For a team that doesn’t have space for Harrison Bader and Magneuris Sierra on the big league club, it does seem odd to add such a highly touted outfield prospect. MLB Pipeline has O’Neill rated as their 29th overall prospect, and he is widely regarded as one of the best power bats in the minors.

This was a great deal for the Cardinals who saw multiple pitchers leap-frog Gonzales in the pecking order of the minor leagues. Whenever you add a player with the potential of O’Neill, you have to be excited. However, will he ever see the field in St. Louis or is he part of a bigger plan?

There are rumors O’Neill may be part of a bigger deal. The Cardinals could be adding O’Neill to add him to what could be a deal to bring in the star player this team desperately needs. This theory is not surprising at all considering the Cardinals’ roster. Throughout the Cardinals’ farm system, there are outfielders aplenty. At each level, you can find at least one outfielder this team and fans are excited about.

Moving O’Neill in a bigger deal would be a genius move by Mozeliak and the rest of the Cardinals’ front office. Selling off a piece that no longer had a real role outside of AAA mainstay for a guy that has incredible upside is a win-win for this team. There is no question this front office has the ability to make smart moves. This move in particular is a good sign for the future and hopefully will bring forth a player to help the major league club, sooner rather than later.

Is Tyler O’Neill part of the Cardinals future? Or is there another plan for him?

Schedule