It would be malpractice to not explore trades Cardinals' relievers

This year's trade deadline market is heavily favoring the sellers. One area of players that has been moved quite a bit thus far is the reliever market. Relievers are fetching hauls of prospects, and teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, and Toronto Blue Jays are taking full advantage of this market.

Most recently, the Rays traded reliever Jason Adam to the San Diego Padres for three of the Padres' top 12 prospects including their #3 overall prospect, Dylan Lesko. Adam, 32, has been a fantastic reliever for three years for the Rays now, as he has a 2.30 ERA, 0.881 WHIP, and a 10.6 K/9 ratio in 164.2 innings.

Earlier in the deadline saga, the Kansas City Royals acquired reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals for the Royals' #2 prospect and their 39th overall pick in the 2024 draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired A.J. Puk, and it cost them two of their top-30 prospects.

The Los Angeles Angels netted two rising prospects from the Philadelphia Phillies for right-handed pitcher Carlos Estevez. Yimi Garcia of the Toronto Blue Jays netted Seattle Mariners' number 10 prospect in a trade.

No matter where you look, trades for relievers have leaned heavily in favor of the selling team. Relievers are one of the most volatile groups in baseball; one good year could be just that for a relief pitcher. Giovanny Gallegos represents a wonderful case study.

The Cardinals designated Gallegos for assignment on Sunday, but he was the organization's best high-leverage reliever from 2018-2022. His last two years have been lackluster, and that demonstrates the unstable nature of a relief pitcher.

Due to the lack of consistency among relievers and the cost of relievers thus far, it would be foolish for Cardinals' president of baseball operations John Mozeliak to not explore trades for his relievers. It is highly unlikely the Cardinals consider trading their All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, but he would easily fetch a top-75 prospect in baseball among other prospects.

Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero have both had great seasons as well. Kittredge was an All-Star in 2022, and JoJo Romero has been performing well for the last two years, so neither reliever is experiencing a fluke season.

The Cardinals can afford to trade a reliever, as they have ample pitchers in the minors who are major league ready in Gordon Graceffo and Zack Thompson. Riley O'Brien is also nearing a return to the majors. Soon, the Cardinals may have a surplus of relievers.

John Mozeliak can clear some space for these young players and net the Cardinals some serious prospects should he explore trades for JoJo Romero or Andrew Kittredge. Once again, it's not likely Mo will explore trades for Ryan Helsley, but Helsley would easily net the strongest package among available relievers this year.