The St. Louis Cardinals have traded Luke Voit to the New York Yankees, along with international bonus pool money, in exchange for a pair of pitchers.
Luke Voit has had trouble finding his way to consistent playing time with the St. Louis Cardinals, despite being a great talent. The Cardinals get a pair of arms, something they desperately need right now.
Voit will hopefully get some consistent playing time to flourish in New York. I wish him the best of luck with his new team. But, let’s look at the new players in the organization.
Chasen Shreve
The Cardinals now have another lefty in the organization. Chasen Shreve has 195 games in the MLB with a record of 14-6, and a career 3.71 ERA. Trust me, he is a big upgrade from Tyler Webb. This season, Shreve has a 4.26 ERA in 40 games.
Something to like is his K/9, which is going to be at 11. That is solid. A look at his 2018 numbers in Fangraphs reveals an xFIP under four, despite what his ERA shows. The 28 year old is a solid addition to the bullpen.
Not to mention Shreve is arbitration eligible for the next two years. That makes things even better.
Giovanny Gallegos
This guy was the number 26 prospect in the Yankees organization, according to MLB Pipeline. He will report to Memphis. Giovanny Gallegos is given a ceiling as a seventh inning reliever, but that is not a bad get for the St. Louis Cardinals either.
He is 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA this season playing with Scranton Wilkes/Barre, the Yanks Triple A affiliate. Gallegos has a plus fastball, and a plus curveball. He will also flash a changeup, but it is not quite as good.
Gallegos enters the St. Louis Cardinals top 30, according to MLB Pipeline, as the number 21 ranked prospect.
Final Thoughts
I like the deal. Voit is good enough to be at the MLB level, but he is blocked in St. Louis. He has been turned into relievers and that is a good move by the front office. Hopefully not the last, but it is a start.
No deal is perfect, and it is tough to lose a guy like Voit. However, Shreve is an immediate upgrade in the bullpen, and Gallegos has some potential. This is a great deal for Voit and international pool money. It addressed the St. Louis Cardinals needs.