Chaim Bloom condemns old John Mozeliak trade with latest Cardinals farm system move

The 2023 trade deadline was not one the St. Louis Cardinals took for granted. John Mozeliak fully embraced the role of a seller, shipping out Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, Paul DeJong, Genesis Cabrera, and Chris Stratton as the team sank to last place in the NL Central.

That Flaherty trade was the standout, as the Cardinals received two notable prospects (César Prieto and Drew Rom) from the Baltimore Orioles for the young right-hander. Though Flaherty was far removed from his early peak of being a Cy Young contender, he still represented an intriguing rental option for an Orioles team desperate for starting pitching.

However, there was one other prospect included in the deal: Zack Showalter. A teenager at the time of the trade, there was hope that the right-hander would develop a third pitch to pair with his electric fastball-curveball tandem and become yet another Redbirds development success story.

Alas, he never climbed above High-A, and following a brutal start to the 2026 season (15.58 ERA in 8 2/3 innings), Showalter has now been released by the Cardinals.

With Rom now plying his trade in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization, the fate of the Flaherty trade rests in Prieto's hands.

Cardinals can salvage Jack Flaherty trade if César Prieto translates his Triple-A breakout to the big leagues

No matter what happens with Prieto, it's not like the Cardinals "lost" the Flaherty trade. He was disastrously bad in Baltimore (6.75 ERA, -0.6 WAR) before leaving over the offseason for Detroit (who ultimately sent him to the Dodgers, where he won the 2024 World Series).

Still, it'd be nice to have something to show for Mozeliak's deal, and Chaim Bloom is giving César Prieto the opportunity to become just that after promoting him from Triple-A Memphis in early May.

That's not to say Prieto is being given a lifeline or a handout; he's more than earned the chance to shine at the big-league level, annihilating Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .311/.357/.566 (133 wRC+) slash line with far more power than we've seen from him in the past.

Combined with his excellent bat-to-ball skills and superlative infield defense, he has all the makings of a valuable utility man on Oli Marmol's bench. To reach that point, he'll have to earn more playing time than he's gotten thus far -- he's received just five plate appearances since being called up -- but the fact that he's back in St. Louis is a promising sign for his future.

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