St. Louis Cardinals trade packages for recently demoted players

Typically, when a former top prospect is demoted mid-season, it's because they didn't perform to an expected level in the majors. For whatever reason, the player wasn't seeing success. For hitters, perhaps they struggled with high fastballs or lifting the ball in the air (see Jordan Walker). For a pitcher, it could be control or his stuff not playing up at the highest level of baseball.

4 players who were once top prospects were recently demoted to their respective teams' Triple-A squads. Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels, Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers, Edouard Julien of the Minnesota Twins, and Bryce Elder of the Atlanta Braves have all been sent down to work on their crafts.

Each of these players is struggling, and some have been struggling for their entire careers. The St. Louis Cardinals and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak would be wise to explore trading for these players who have fallen from grace.

The Cardinals have been stagnant in trades for a few years now. Rarely, if ever, have they taken a flier on a player who was once a top-rated prospect outside of their organization. Instead, the Cardinals have dealt prospects of their own who couldn't quite cut it in the majors, and fans have had to witness these players (Lane Thomas, Sandy Alcantara, and Johan Oviedo most recently) be successful in other organizations.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is necessary for these former stud prospects. Jerred Kelenic is a wonderful example of this. Kelenic was once ranked a top-5 prospect in all of baseball according to multiple outlets in 2021. He did not see success in the majors with the Seattle Mariners. Instead, he experienced sky-high strikeout rates, and his power was sapped. This past offseason, Kelenic was traded to the Atlanta Braves, and he's performed much closer to the expectations that were once had of him.

The Cardinals have several players of their own who were once top prospects but haven't been able to cut it after multiple years in the majors. Perhaps a trade, a change of scenery, could benefit both parties. Dylan Carlson, Zack Thompson, and Matthew Liberatore -- though he's settled in quite nicely as a bullpen arm -- have all struggled to reach their once-projected ceilings.

Some of these players aren't full reclamation projects; they could just benefit from hearing from different voices. Others would need to be reset completely.

Here are 4 players who were recently demoted whom the Cardinals should trade for and packages for each.