St. Louis Cardinals: Ranking the 10 worst trades in the last 20 years

7. St. Louis Cardinals deal Tommy Pham for three prospects.

Cardinals Receive: Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, Justin Williams

Rays Receive: Tommy Pham

The late-blooming Pham was outstanding with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, hitting .306 with 23 home runs in 444 at-bats. At the deadline of a less impressive 2018, where his batting average sat at .248, he was dealt to the Rays for Cabrera, Ramirez and Williams. Pham was having some disagreements with the organization and Mike Matheny, so the fresh start could have done Pham some good.

Indeed, Pham was a monster with the Rays after the deadline, hitting .343 in 143 at-bats. He hasn’t slowed down this year, as he is still putting up great numbers for the Rays. Pham could have been a starter in the outfield for the Cardinals this year, although the team has made up for his absence.

Williams hit .252 with 11 home runs in 425 at-bats between the Rays’ and Cardinals’ Triple-A clubs. He’s been on the injured list since the start of the season with a finger injury, and he has a total of one plate appearance in the major leagues.

Ramirez has gotten off to a poor start with Double-A Springfield, pitching 10.2 innings so far and giving up 13 hits and 10 earned runs. He gave up six earned runs in 10.2 innings in Springfield last year after the trade to the Cardinals, so things aren’t looking good for him.

Cabrera has also struggled since coming to the Cardinals. He had a 4.74 ERA in Springfield last year and surrendered 13 earned runs in 24.2 innings. He was promoted to Memphis to begin 2019 and has so far fared worse, giving up 16 hits, 14 earned runs and six home runs in only 12.1 innings.

This trade could still be salvaged if Ramirez and Cabrera turn things around. We still need to see more of Williams to know what he possesses, but for now, it looks as if it could be a heist for the Rays.