4 ex-Cardinals who would have benefited from the current youth movement approach

OF Lane Thomas

Few trades are as exemplary of the organization's present-forward approach than the one that included Lane Thomas in 2021. This trade is the epitome of one where the Cardinals trade a prospect for immediate help in the majors.

At the 2021 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent prospect Lane Thomas to the Washington Nationals for veteran pitcher Jon Lester. Lester was 37 at the time, and Thomas had only 122 major-league at-bats to his name. His performance with the Cardinals wasn't overly inspiring, and Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson were much better players than him at the time. Therefore, a trade of a depth outfielder to supplement a weary rotation seemed logical.

Lane Thomas would go on to be a solid outfielder for the Washington Nationals for the next three seasons. Immediately after the trade, Thomas slashed .270/.364/.489 for the Nationals with seven home runs in only 45 games. While Jon Lester was a key contributor down the stretch for the Cardinals, the organization sacrificed years of a young player for a couple of months of an aging starting pitcher.

While Thomas has yet to receive recognition for his efforts in the form of an All-Star appearance or award nominations, he's been the superior outfielder to other players the Cardinals have used in the same time period, including Dylan Carlson and Jordan Walker.

Lane Thomas wouldn't be an All-Star for the Cardinals had he stayed, but he would have been valuable outfield depth behind struggling players (see: Carlson and Walker) or players who experienced frequent injuries (see: also Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, and Tyler O'Neill). Rather than holding on to valuable depth outfielders, John Mozeliak opted for immediate gratification in the form of a veteran on an expiring contract. This approach wouldn't occur in the current state of the organization.