5 prospects at risk of being traded by the Cardinals for a frontline starting pitcher

Gordon Graceffo

Last offseason, Gordon Graceffo was highly sought after by other MLB teams in trade talks. After a breakout year in the Cardinals' system, they were rightfully hesitant to move him, but a weird 2023 may have changed that.

After posing a 2.97 ERA in 139.1 innings across High-A and Double-A, Graceffo battled an injury in 2023, throwing just 86 innings with a 4.92 ERA.

Graceffo is still the Cardinals' third-best pitching prospect according to MLB.com and should get big league innings at some point in 2023, which may be appealing to other clubs that will need innings immediately. Graceffo isn't someone the Cardinals should be looking to move on from, but he also should not be held onto if a deal is there.

I personally would rank Tink Hence, Tekoah Roby, and Cooper Hjerpe above Graceffo when I am thinking of the best Cardinals' pitching prospects. With more arms in Triple-A like Sem Robberse, Adam Kloffenstein, and Michael McGreevy, as well as guys like Zack Thompson, Drew Rom, and Matthew Liberatore getting big-league innings already, Graceffo feels expendable compared to his status last year.

Again, there is no rush to move him, but I would include him in a deal for Cease or even Glasnow at this point. The Cardinals' need for another front-end starter is too great to pass on the opportunity, and Graceffo could be a piece of that puzzle to get them there.