5 St. Louis Cardinals most likely to be dealt at trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals will be buyers at the trade deadline, which means they will have to trade someone away. Let’s look at the five guys most likely to be dealt at the deadline.

The St. Louis Cardinals are a very good baseball team, but as the trade deadline approaches, it’s clear they need some upgrades. Pitching has been identified as the biggest need for this team, but no one would complain if they brought in another bat, either.

We’ve taken a look at various starters on the market. From Pablo Lopez to Luis Castillo to Martin Perez, there are multiple quality names out there to be acquired. However, none of these top arms will come for free. Luckily, the Cardinals have a deep 40-man roster and minor league system.

How much value does Paul DeJong have? Would the Cardinals part with a proven big leaguer like Harrison Bader? How about top prospects Jordan Walker or Mason Winn? Juan Yepez, Brendan Donovan, Matthew Liberatore, and Zack Thompson have all debuted this season– surely teams are interested in these rookies, too.

Each of these talented players – along with many others – are going to be mentioned in various trade rumors. But realistically, the Cardinals will hang onto the majority of them. Only a few members of the organization will be switching teams in a trade.

Let’s take a look at the five Cardinals most likely to be traded at this year’s deadline. Spoiler alert: unless Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto is a surprise target, these five will be enough to headline whatever deal John Mozeliak ends up making.

Gordon Graceffo

The biggest riser in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system this season has been Gordon Graceffo. A fifth round pick last season out of Villanova, Graceffo has blown completely past all expectations. Just take a look at this tweet from Cardinals Player Development.

On top of those eye-popping numbers, Baseball America’s updated top-100 prospect list has Graceffo at 76, a huge jump for a previously unranked fifth rounder. The key to Graceffo’s rapid rise has been increased velocity. He hit 100 mph this offseason for the first time in his life.

Why would the Cardinals trade Graceffo? Well, there is a question on how much better he can be. Still only at the Double-A level, Graceffo hasn’t proven that he can keep up this incredible pace. It’s a long journey to St. Louis, and while I have no doubts that Graceffo can make it happen, he’s still a few levels away. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cardinals try to capitalize on his soaring value before the season is over.

And of the players the Cardinals drafted last season, Graceffo is definitely the most likely to be dealt. First round pick Michael McGreevy has been steady if unspectacular, second round pick Joshua Baez is still a few years away from the big leagues, and none of the other newest Cardinal prospects have had a comparable increase in value during the short time they’ve been professionals. It’s simply too early for a rival ballclub to take a gamble on the rest of the bunch.

I don’t think the Cardinals want to trade a talented arm like Gordon Graceffo. The organization is proud of their late-round steals. They’re especially proud of their ability to develop college arms. However, if the opportunity presents itself, expect Gordon Graceffo to be wearing a new uniform in the coming weeks.

Alec Burleson

Drafted at the end of the second round in 2020, Alec Burleson was a two-way player at East Carolina. The Cardinals believed in his bat, and the 23 year old has proved them right.

Alec Burleson has done nothing but hit. The number eight prospect in the St. Louis system, Burleson has an OPS of .931 this season at Triple-A Memphis with 16 home runs. Those are absolutely outstanding numbers.

https://twitter.com/CardsPlayerDev/status/1544431797806809096

The problem for Burleson, however, is that there is no current path for him to the big league team in St. Louis. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt have the corner infield spots locked down, while Juan Yepez and Brendan Donovan took over the depth spots early this season and ran with the opportunity. Add in Nolan Gorman’s ceiling, Tyler O’Neil and Dylan Carlson in the corner outfield spots, plus Jordan Walker needing a place soon, and you can see the issue quite clearly.

As I mentioned, Burleson is currently ranked as the eighth best prospect on the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s clearly major-league ready, despite only two seasons in the minor leagues. While it would be a shame to lose this talented left-handed bat, the Cardinals should capitalize on Burleson’s value while they still can.

Unless the Cardinals suddenly lose faith in Yepez and Donovan, Burleson is almost a guarantee to be traded. If he’s not, then either the Cardinals didn’t do enough to make this team better, or something very unexpected has occurred.

Johan Oviedo

Although the Cardinals are pursuing more pitching and unlikely to take away from their current group, Oviedo would be likely to leave if an upgrade presented itself. The 24 year old has been solid, but the Cardinals haven’t trusted him yet with a major role.

Oviedo has been steady through the minors. The last two years at Triple-A, his stats have been almost identical– 10-12 games, over 50 strikeouts, a WHIP between 1.30 and 1.60, and a strangely high ERA over five. And in the majors, those trends have continued.

I have no idea if Oviedo’s ceiling is a back of the rotation starter or bullpen innings eater. There is no questioning his arm talent, however, and a team looking to acquire young, controllable talent would be happy to take a flyer on him. Of the guys on this list, Oviedo is the least likely to be traded. But he and Capel are the most likely to be traded of anyone on the 40-man roster.

Summary

The all-star break is a time for celebration, but for a contending team like the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s also a warning. There’s two weeks left to make adjustments to this year’s team. Whether they end up as major improvements or minor tweaks, there is no question that the Cardinals have to be active.

Gordon Graceffo and Alec Burleson would headline an exciting acquisition. Capel, Hurst, and Oviedo would bring back much-needed depth. Either way, these five are each valuable young ballplayers. We’ll see what kind of additions they bring when the Cardinals move them in the coming weeks.