Grading the St. Louis Cardinals trade deadline moves

Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Edmundo Sosa #63 after the final out in a 13-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game at PNC Park on August 28, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Edmundo Sosa #63 after the final out in a 13-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game at PNC Park on August 28, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 29: Jose Quintana #62 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 29, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 29: Jose Quintana #62 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 29, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Trade Grade: A-

The Cardinals second move was a really important one for the club, grabbing both an impactful veteran starter and high upside reliever for two youngsters who probably were not in the club’s long term plans.

Jose Quintana was a move I speculated for St. Louis due to his low price point and success against clubs that St. Louis will be competing with down the stretch. Quintana owns a 3.50 ERA on a bad Pirates team, and likely will find even more success on a contender and in front of a top tier defense. The left hander fills one of the two open spots that the Cardinals have in their rotation after injuries have hit them hard this year.

Stratton has not been very good in 2022 according to traditional stats, as he has a 4.97 ERA in 41.2 innings for Pittsburgh before being dealt to St. Louis. His FIP though indicates major improvements on the horizon, as it sat at 3.61 this season. In front of St. Louis’ defense, Stratton should also benefit greatly, and also benefit from being one cog in a deep bullpen.

Giving up Johan Oviedo and Malcom Nunez is notable, but neither appear to have long term futures in St. Louis. Oviedo had struggled greatly in the rotation but found success as a reliever for the club. Nunez is blocked by the wealth of corner infield and DH talent in the organization, making both players expendable for these major upgrades.