Overall trade deadline grade
Sure, it's easy to get annoyed that the Cardinals were not able to get a rotation arm for 2024 at this deadline, but since those were not available, I think St. Louis did the best they could with the hand they were dealt.
They build prospect depth in the organization in a much-needed way, acquiring a good mix of high-upside pitching prospects, quality arms with a higher floor and are more MLB-ready, and even a few intriguing position players.
For context, this is where each of their new prospects rank in their organization according to MLB.com
RHP Tekoah Roby (#4)
RHP Sem Robberse (#6)
INF Thomas Saggese (#8)
INF Cesar Prieto (#9)
RHP Adam Kloffenstein (#22)
RHP Zack Showalter (#23)
LHP Drew Rom (#26)
RHP Matt Svanason (NR)
Getting four prospects that rank in the organization's top 10 (with Roby potentially being a top-100 prospect), as well as so many other interesting names, while giving up just rental pieces, is a huge win for St. Louis.
Once the offseason comes around, they can have serious talks with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, and other clubs about controllable starting pitching and explore upgrades in the free-agent market. But for now, the Cardinals did what they needed to do, and they did it really well.