4 former Cardinals who are putting on a show in Spring Training

Paul DeJong

Woe to those Cardinals fans who believed in Paul DeJong after he started off multiple seasons coming out like gangbusters, only to collapse spectacularly after the first month or so of the season. DeJong appears to be up to his old spring tricks with the Chicago White Sox, as he's hit .295 with three home runs for the South Siders across 50 plate appearances.

After fizzling out with the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants following his departure from St. Louis via trade, DeJong will look to resuscitate his career with the White Sox and will likely start the season as the top shortstop option for the team, although top prospect Colson Montgomery is knocking on the door to the major leagues.

Now 30, DeJong is unlikely to find another gear, and it would be a major surprise if his hot hitting carries over deep into the regular season. Maybe the White Sox have unlocked something there, but DeJong has a history of hot starts like these, so a large heap of skepticism is warranted.

Jack Flaherty

Jack Flaherty was a big part of the Cardinals' hopes in 2023, but he was plagued by ineffectiveness before a trade to the Baltimore Orioles that netted the Cardinals Cesar Prieto, Zack Showalter and Drew Rom. Flaherty imploded with the Orioles, pitching his way out of their rotation for the postseason, and he wasn't retained after the offseason, leading the Detroit Tigers to snap him up in free agency.

Flaherty is showing nasty stuff this spring, with 18 strikeouts and only four walks in 13.2 innings, in which he has allowed five runs. He is likely to slot into the Tigers' rotation as he looks for a bounce-back year. Injuries have derailed the career of the former highly touted prospect, who never lived up to his ace projections outside of the second half of 2019, but if Flaherty is finally fully healthy, the Tigers might have hit the jackpot on a cheap one-year, $14 million contract.

Many Cardinals fans never fully embraced Flaherty because of his inconsistency and frequent injuries, along with his decisions to speak out on issues regarding social justice, and some of his comments after the trade fanned the flames. It will be interesting to see the response to Flaherty if he pitches in Busch Stadium anytime soon, especially if he finds the success in Detroit that eluded him for most of his tenure in St. Louis.

Richie Palacios

Richie Palacios wrestled his way into a starting outfield role in St. Louis late in the 2023 season, long after all hopes of a playoff appearance had faded. He more than held his own, hitting .258 with an OPS of .823. But the Cardinals, who deemed their outfield too crowded before Spring Training, sent Palacios to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Andrew Kittredge.

Palacios has stood out in Spring Training for the Rays, hitting .311 with three home runs in 45 at-bats. His average exit velocity of 92.7 mph also ranks near the top of the team. He looks to be in a good spot to make the Rays' active roster and run with a job in the outfield, and he has also been working out at second base.

The Cardinals could come to lament the Palacios move, but considering that they received Palacios from the Cleveland Guardians for nothing but cash, flipping him for an established reliever has to be considered a long-term win for the Cardinals. It likely still won't ease the sting on Cardinals fans if Palacios comes anywhere near Randy Arozarena-level success, though.

The Cardinals have made several trades over the past few years that they certainly wish they could have back, and more success from these players will only intensify the pain. Here's hoping that if these four standouts transfer their spring performance to the regular season, the players the Cardinals received in these deals can flourish as well.