4 trade heists by the Cardinals in the last 10 years

2. St. Louis Cardinals acquire RHP Giovanny Gallegos and RHP Chasen Shreve for 1B Luke Voit.

On July 29th, 2018, John Mozeliak worked a trade that sent first baseman Luke Voit to the New York Yankees for relievers Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve. Luke Voit was expendable due to Paul Goldschmidt's inclusion on the team, and the roster needed some pitching depth.

Gallegos was sent to AAA Memphis immediately after the trade, and he made his first appearances for the Cardinals later that year. Since the trade, Gallegos has accumulated 6.2 fWAR in 5 seasons. He has 44 saves during his time in St. Louis, and his consistency at the back end of the bullpen has been a stabilizing feature for the right-handed reliever.

Conversely, Luke Voit has accumulated 4.1 fWAR since his departure from St. Louis. Voit had a decent showing in his first few years in the Bronx, but he struggled in 2021, 2022, and 2023 while playing for a variety of teams.

Though Gallegos's 2023 performance left plenty to be desired, he was still a top-7 reliever in all of baseball according to a variety of metrics between 2019 and 2022. In that span, he threw 228.1 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 0.893 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 142. He placed 15th among relievers in ERA, 8th in FIP, and 6th in total fWAR in his first 4 years in St. Louis.

While Gallegos has been durable, reliable, and consistent for the Cardinals, Luke Voit has struggled to maintain his performance from earlier in the trade. What was once a lopsided deal in favor of the Yankees has since become a victory for the Cardinals.

Gallegos is entering the last year of his contract with St. Louis, so he can become a free agent at the end of the year. If he can perform as well as he did early in his career with the Redbirds, an extension is possible. Giovanny Gallegos, for as forgotten as he is on the national stage, has been a consistent reliever who has provided wonderful innings in relief since the Cardinals acquired him in 2018.