St. Louis Cardinals: MLB.com ranks top 30 Cards prospects

The St. Louis Cardinals did not part with any of their top prospects for Nolan Arenado and their farm system remains in very good shape because of it.

The St. Louis Cardinals somehow acquired Nolan Arenado without parting with any of their top prospects. Jeff Bridich, the general manager responsible for ruining the Colorado Rockies’ relationship with the third baseman, has since resigned following one of the worst trades in baseball history.

The Cardinals, however, are sitting pretty. They have Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt signed long-term to man their infield. Dylan Carlson is on pace to become a very good player. Jack Flaherty appears to be settling into his role as the team’s ace. Tommy Edman appears more than capable of replacing Kolten Wong at second base. And the team’s farm system remains very good, with MLB.com recently releasing their top 30 prospect rankings.

Matthew Liberatore, the 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher, was rated as their top prospect. It comes as little surprise, as the Cardinals have long viewed him as a foundational piece in the rotation and why they felt comfortable trading Randy Arozarena to acquire him. He had a very good spring and drew widespread praise from members of the organization, most notably Adam Wainwright who publicly touted him on numerous occasions.

Nolan Gorman, the promising infielder, was rated as their No. 2 prospect. Gorman projects as a third baseman, but took significant reps at second this spring and appeared to get more comfortable. He still has much work to do before seeing action in a major-league game, but scouts view his bat as MLB ready.

The top five rounds out with catcher Ivan Herrera, left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson and shortstop/right-handed pitcher Masyn Winn. While Herrera and Thompson project to debut in 2022, the 19-year-old Winn will likely debut closer to 2024.

That the Cardinals were able to acquire Arenado without parting with any of these players is a miracle. Because of it, they figure to remain competitive in the long haul — in large part because of Arenado and Goldschmidt and the presence of Flaherty and Liberatore to guide their rotation.