Grading the Cardinals' 2023 trade deadline based on their stated goals

Goal #1: "Pitching, Pitching, Pitching"

Over the last 5+ years in baseball, teams have been targeting a specific type of pitcher in the draft, during trades and during free agency: pitchers who can strike batters out. The Cardinals, however, maintained a focus on groundball pitchers to capitalize on their Gold-Glove infield. This plan worked, up until this year. The rule changes limited shifting, and the team couldn't quite adjust like other shift-heavy teams of yesteryear such as the Rays, Dodgers, and Astros.

Therefore, Mozeliak was forced to identify and trade for pitchers, especially ones who could strike batters out. He stated this goal very clearly in a recent interview. Gathering 7 pitchers in one deadline is a fulfillment of that goal. 4 of the pitching prospects acquired fit immediately into the Cardinals' top prospects. Drew Rom (LHP, #26 in organization), Adam Kloffenstein (RHP, #22), Sem Robberse (RHP, #6), and Tekoah Roby (RHP, #4) were all acquired at this deadline.

The quantity part of Mozeliak's plan was completed; what about the quality aspect? For context, the MLB league-average strikeouts per nine innings is 10.04 K's/9 innings. The average strikeout rate is 22.1% of batters faced. For their careers, Roby strikes out 10.97 batters per nine innings, Robberse strikes out 8.49 per nine innings, Kloffenstein records 9.73 strikeouts per nine innings, and Rom K's 10.53 batters per nine innings. Roby, the highest-ranked prospect of the four, has very strong strikeout numbers. Acquiring 2 pitchers with above-average K rates surely helps the farm system's pitching depth. Robberse, the lowest of the four, has high-strikeout potential should his velocity tick up.

Goal #1 grade: B-

While the front office did a great job acquiring plenty of arms, the high-upside that they may have been seeking isn't quite there. Roby has potential, should he remain healthy. Beyond him, it seems like the Cardinals acquired mid-to-low-rotation arms. While the hope would have been to trade from the infield/outfield depth to acquire a high-end, controllable starter, that goal wasn't met. Had the team traded a young player such as Dylan Carlson, Tommy Edman, or Alec Burleson for a pitcher, the pitching grade would have been higher.

Goal #2: Improving Farm System Depth

The second part of the trade deadline sell off was to build up the farm system depth. The Cardinals minor league teams have been struggling of late. While the goal of a minor league team isn't necessarily to win a lot of games, winning usually is a strong indicator of player performance and talent.

The Memphis Redbirds haven't posted an above-.500 season since 2018 (mind you, the 2020 season was cancelled), Springfield hasn't had a winning record since 2017, and Peoria hasn't seen a season better than .500 since 2016. The minor league teams needed help, badly. By trading away major league players with expiring contracts, the hope was that minor league talent could be brought back, especially players who could help the major league team in the near future.

Anytime an organization gets more prospects than it gives away, the minor league rosters will see a boost. Garnering 10 players in a variety of positions and a variety of levels provides immediate help to minor league teams. The pitchers will slot in at various levels, primarily double-A Springfield and triple-A Memphis. It is expected that the Cardinals will promote some current AAA players to the major league roster (Zach Thompson), so the new prospect acquisitions will backfill the holes that are created.

The front office was able to add two top non-pitching prospects in Thomas Saggese and Cesar Prieto, both infielders. Saggese seems to be of the Brendan Donovan mold, someone who can play a variety of positions well, gets on base at a steady clip, and has decent power. He was also given Texas' True Ranger award for "representing its core values on and off the field", so he brings along a strong personality and clubhouse presence. Prieto, meanwhile, has shown strong power potential in the minor leagues. His contact and plate discipline, however, have taken a hit in exchange. Prieto appears to be primarily a third basemen who can play second base well additionally.

Goal #2 Grade: A-

The Cardinals added 6 top-30 organizational prospects this deadline. That alone beefs up the minor league system and farm depth. They also brought in a catcher in Sammy Hernandez who could show some potential down the road and some back-end pitchers to provide depth below the major-league level. While it would have been nice to acquire some top-100 talent, getting the prospects they did sure helps the farm system depth.

Overall Trade Deadline Grade: B

The Cardinals accomplished what they set out to do this deadline: get pitching, particularly strikeout pitching, and build up the farm system. Both of those goals were accomplished handily. However, the team may have fallen a bit short at the deadline.

Had John Mozeliak netted one or more top 100 prospects, this grade would be much better. Despite the lack of high-end talent, the team did acquire strong prospects with the potential of being in the middle of the rotation down the road and players who can be strong utility players on the field.

I don't think the 2024 roster revamp is close to done just yet. Through deadline conversations, Mozeliak and Co. were able to gather plenty of information on the prospects and players of other organizations. During the offseason, the front office can use this information to possibly trade off players such as Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, or a catcher (Andrew Knizner or Ivan Herrera). Getting a controllable, top-of-the-rotation starter for one of more of these players would complete an otherwise strong deadline retool.

In addition to a trade for a strong rotation piece, hopefully the front office is willing to sign one of the free agent starting pitchers this offseason. A rotation of Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, one of Matthew Liberatore/Gordon Graceffo/Michael McGreevy, a player who is traded for, and a free agent should be strong enough to lead the team next year. This year's trade deadline, an offseason trade, and an offseason pitching acquisition will be a strong retool for a team looking to compete in 2024 and beyond.