Cardinals' Jesus Baez among top prospects traded at the deadline

As part of their sell-off at this year's trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals received infield prospect Jesus Baez from the New York Mets. Baez was just one of three prospects sent to the Cardinals for two months of Ryan Helsley's services.

Baez, 20, presents a power profile with high contact rates and solid exit velocities. Baez can be a bit pull-happy at times, but his raw power is still enticing given his size. MLB Pipeline gives Baez a 60-grade power tool (on a 20-80 scale), and that's shown by his 93rd percentile exit velocity in 2024. He's never been given elite prospect status, but he was ranked 92nd in Baseball America's preseason rankings, though he fell off at some point during their updates this year.

Between Low-A and High-A this year, Baez has a .242/.334/.390 slash line, but he's fared slightly better at High-A. He's been assigned to High-A Peoria for the Cardinals already.

He's found himself primarily on the left side of the infield so far in his career, but he's logged time at third base, second base, and shortstop as a professional. He likely profiles as a third baseman given his plus arm, but he could also be shifted to second base at some point. Regardless, he offers ample versatility on the defensive side.

With so few top-100 prospects dealt this year, analysts have had a hard time deciphering which prospects who were moved at the deadline were the best. Outside of shortstop Leo De Vries, a consensus top-10 prospect in all of baseball, being traded from the San Diego Padres to the Athletics, the crop of prospects dealt was by and large ancillary.

However, the Cardinals still landed one of the best prospects at the deadline among the 97 that were moved.

According to prospect experts, Jesus Baez was one of the best prospects traded at the deadline.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed Baez as the fourth-best prospect traded at the deadline. According to McDaniel, "Baez has a rare combination of plus raw power, plus bat control and the arm strength to stick in the infield.

"He has an above-average arm that will play anywhere and solid, quick hands," continues McDaniel. Kiley does caution fans regarding Baez's defense at the hot corner though. "Being an average defensive third baseman isn't a slam dunk, but he can get there with some work."

Jesus Baez is by no means a polished prospect. He's still raw and in need of some fine-tuning, but he's only 20, and he has plenty of time to correct his limited range and propensity to hit the ball on the ground.

Kiley McDaniel isn't the only person who thinks highly of Jesus Baez among his peers. Sam Dykstra, MLB.com's resident prospect guru, also placed Jesus Baez as a top-10 prospect who was dealt. "Baez's stock made a massive jump in 2024 as he married good contact rates with loud exit velocities as a 19-year-old in the Single-A Florida State League, only for a torn meniscus in his right knee to end his season early," writes Dykstra.

Baez posted strong strikeout rates so far this year with a 16.7% K rate. His plus arm strength should bode well with his power-first profile. According to Sam Dykstra, he's at least an "interesting prospect."

The folks at Baseball America listed Baez as the tenth-best prospect to be traded at this year's deadline as well. BA ranked Baez as the Cardinals' sixth-best prospect following the trade, and they placed his future value at 50 on the typically 20-80 scale. They listed Baez as a top 150-500 prospect in baseball, essentially a player who could be a solid regular down the stretch, but he comes with more risk or concern than other top-100 prospects.

While the quality of the returns may not have been ideal for the Cardinals at this year's deadline, they didn't receive scrubs for their relievers on expiring contracts. Jesus Baez is a player fans can keep an eye on. If he can make minor adjustments to his swing path while taking advantage of his plus arm, Baez could become a solid third baseman in a few years.