Cardinals prospect Daniel Eagan explains breakout since Lars Nootbaar trade

In a move that came near the final buzzer during the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals swapped long-time outfielder Lars Nootbaar for three prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks: pitchers Daniel Eagan, Sandro Santana, and Brian Curley. Thus far, the returns on these three prospects have been exceptional, and a good portion of that comes from Daniel Eagan's production.

Eagan, who turns 24 in just a couple of weeks, was drafted in the thid round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Presbyterian College. He spent all of the 2026 season at Double-A for the Arizona and St. Louis. He finished the year with a 4.72 ERA across 122 innings pitched. He struck out a whopping 30.7% of batters he faced in 2026 while walking just 8% of them.

Don't let Eagan's inflated ERA worry you, though. He pitched in a very hitter-friendly park in Amarilla for most of the year. His numbers following the trade are much more in line with what we can expect out of the righty. "Pitchers kind of have that mindset that anything can leave at any moment, but there was a camaraderie on the team," said Eagan of pitching at Hodgetown. "It was more of a Band of Brothers thing.

"If your stuff is going to tick down at Hodgetown you know it’s going to do better at other places."

Daniel Eagan is making the most of his time following a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals. "For me, it was the change of scenery, and it’s a new opportunity to make a good impression on new people," said Eagan. "When I got over to Springfield, it was clear that they had a pitching identity, and it was motivating for me to get traded over and jump into the unit."

Following the trade, Eagan took off. He threw only 34.2 innings with the Cardinals, but he made the most of them. He posted a 4.15 ERA, 3.88 FIP, and struck out 34.5% of the batters he faced while walking only 5% of them. He led all minor-league pitchers in strikeouts in the second half of the MiLB season. He struck out 10 or more batters in three of his six starts following the trade deadline.

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Daniel Eagan is a pitcher to keep an eye on.

Eagan is quite familiar with Sandro Santana and Brian Curley, two other pitchers who came to St. Louis in the same trade. While Curley has been seen as a fiery personality on the mound, Daniel assured me that he's a kind and calm guy off the field.

"Curley is another guy that I think will fit really well into what the Cardinals have when it comes to developing pitchers. Whatever he needs to work on to fit the Cardinals pitching model, he’s going to take it head on."

Daniel Eagan was able to pitch in the postseason with the Springfield Cardinals as the team sought to win the Texas League Championship. He pitched nine innings across two games while allowing only two runs with 12 strikeouts. "It taught me that anything can happen in a game, but during the postseason game, but what matters is your emotions. In my first game I gave up some runs but we won the game. I would rather go out there and give up a few runs and win the game than throw a shutout and lose.," said Eagan of his postseason experience.

Daniel is spending this offseason in the Cardinals' Fall Off-Season Program in Florida. This program has allowed some 60-plus players to work with coaches, performance, and development staff over a six-week program at the organization's new Jupiter, FL facility. "It’s been a really fun camp, and everyone is taking it seriously. People are really getting after it and getting their work done. It’s cool to see the future of the Cardinals get together."

While in Florida, Eagan is focusing on adding some velocity to his four-seamer and re-introducing a splitter he used early in the year. "I’m looking to add some velocity on the four seamer. It’s ticked down since I’ve gotten to pro ball. I’m confident in what the Cardinals have laid for me…in terms of development in my career," shared Eagan. "I had a splitter at the start of this past season then I shelved it for a normal changeup. We’re kind of re-introducing the splitter as a part of my arsenal."

Eagan will almost assuredly be tested at Triple-A Memphis to start the 2027 season. If he can continue his upward trajectory, we could see him pitch out of the bullpen or in the rotation by the end of the 2027 season. He is a part of an insane crop of pitching prospects that the Cardinals boast which includes Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tekoah Roby, and others.

"The pitching (in the minors) is unreal. Tanner Franklin is so good and he has so many hard weapons that leave another pitcher in awe. Doyle is always fun to watch. As far as hitters, Tai Peete has been scorching hot in the Fall League, and he was showing many glimpses of that with Springfield."

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