Thomas Saggese
It would be really painful to lose someone like Thomas Saggese so soon after adding him to the farm system. Saggese was one of the pieces that came over in the Jordan Montgomery trade to Texas, and he went on to win Texas League Most Valuable Player and is now knocking on the door of the Majors in Triple-A Memphis.
Saggese just feels like another hitter that prospect gurus say will be an above-average hitter, but somehow continues to outperform those projections to be a very valuable big leaguer.
Saggese often gets compared to Brendan Donovan, but I've seen him more as a Matt Carpenter type. Sageese can play all over the diamond but isn't the defender that Donovan was. Saggese is probably best suited to pay second base or third base, though he can play shortstop as well (probably better than Donovan). In 2023, Saggese slashed .306/.374/.530 with 26 HR and 111 RBI, with the majority of those at-bats coming in Double-A.
Saggese could be a very valuable piece for the Cardinals long-term, but if they want to hold onto guys like Gorman and Donovan in trade talks, I can see how Saggese may need to be put on the table. The Cardinals reportedly value Saggese very highly, but if push comes to shove, I feel like they'd be willing to part with him if it meant getting a front-end starter with control. We ranked Saggese as a tier below untouchable on the Noot News Podcast.
That is the only scenario I entertain trading Saggese at the moment. With Tommy Edman becoming a free agent after 2025, their middle infield depth will thin out a little bit soon, and having Saggese with Winn, Donovan, and Gorman would make for a bright future up the middle. With the addition of the DH spot in the National League and Donovan's outfield versatility, all four guys can have a future on this club.