5 prospects the Cardinals could consider trading even in a rebuild

Chaim Bloom is gearing towards a rebuild with the start of his St. Louis Cardinals tenure. Many veteran players will be asked about their future, many players failing to develop will be shopped, and many prospects will be packaged in future trades to help recoup value. Many questions need to be answered following the tenure of John Mozeliak, with the focus to think about the 2026 season.

The Cardinals have the resources to turn things around and should be expected to do so. It is uncertain what direction Bloom takes at this point in time. But what is for certain is that the Cardinals have enough depth to move pieces around to better shape their future roster. With this in mind, there is the potential for promising prospects to be traded to provide the organization more MLB-proven talent.

Here are 5 players who could potentially be moved in this scenario:

Tink Hence

It has been 5 years since Tink Hence was drafted by the Cardinals. The small stature but explosive arm has been discussed as a future starter in St. Louis for half a decade, and fans are still waiting for this to come to fruition. Hence was a Rule 5 Draft eligible player during the 2024 offseason and was added to the 40-man in order to be retained by the organization. With many seasons of injury history and limited innings pitched, Hence might not be worth the gamble for the long-term sustainability of the Major League roster. His current trajectory looks to be a relief pitcher, given his innings pitched, and the Cardinals would be more than wise to trade him while he still has mystique value. Hence missed most of the 2025 season with a right rib injury.

When healthy, Hence is one of the most electric arms in the minor leagues with a career ERA of 3.25 and career SO/9 of 11.4. He clearly has the swing-and-miss talent that the organization has failed to develop for over a decade. But if he cannot put together a full season in the Minor Leagues, he will fail to do so at the Major League level. Expect teams to be asking about Hence's availability this offseason.