Three prospects the Cardinals must avoid trading this offseason

Plenty has been said about "untouchables" on the major league roster. Today, I'll outline why the Cardinals must avoid trading three prospects.

St. Louis Cardinals v Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals v Milwaukee Brewers / John Fisher/GettyImages
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Untouchable is a strange word in baseball. Obviously, every prospect or player has a price. If another team meets that price, it's worth trading the player, right?

Last year, it was clear the Cardinals weren't interested in trading Jordan Walker unless someone had called up and offered the moon. He was just too good, and usually, that's the reason prospects become must-keeps (this is a better term than untouchable, in my opinion). But, the three players I'll be discussing today are must-keeps for a different reason. They're all excellent prospects with bright futures, but they provide too much to the Cardinal organization to be moved.

What exactly does that mean? It means that they're too valuable because of their specific skills or positions. This is why a guy like Ivan Herrera, as much as I believe in him, doesn't find his way onto this list. Herrera is an outstanding young catcher with a high defensive floor and an even higher offensive season. I believe he's going to be a productive big-league catcher, and hopefully, the Cardinals will give him opportunities to do that. However, if the Cardinals were to move on from Herrera, it wouldn't wound the organization long-term. They have Willson Contreras, a highly capable catcher on the big league roster right now, and the minors are littered with strong catching prospects, such as Leonardo Bernal, Jimmy Crooks III, and Pedro Pagés. It's likely that another major league caliber catcher would emerge within the next few years.

However, that's not the case at every spot on the field.

CF Victor Scott II

Victor Scott II is the least tradeable of any prospect in the Cardinals' system right now. He's risen through the minors quickly and his bat is more advanced than scouts had previously thought. He could reach St. Louis early in the 2024 season. But the Cardinals can't trade him because of the positional value he provides. Since the departure of Harrison Bader, the Cardinals have not rostered a true centerfielder with a solid bat. They're given defensive gurus like Oscar Mercado opportunities, and they've slid other productive players such as Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman into center to mask the problem. But each has had their own problems. Nootbaar's glove is much better utilized in right field, his native position. Edman doesn't have the arm strength to excel in centerfield. Scott's game has no such holes.

Victor Scott is a generational defensive prospect. He may be the fastest player in all of MiLB, as evidenced by his gaudy stolen base totals. But that speed plays in the field too. He's already an elite defender, and he's only going to get better. After a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, it's likely that the Cardianls will be even more aggressive with his development. I personally can't wait to watch him patrol Busch's spacious outfield.

But all of this excitement aside, the reason they can't trade him is because of the lack of organizational depth. Travis Honeyman may be able to play center at a high level someday, but it remains to be seen whether he'll receive those opportunities. Elsewhere, Michael Siani plays a solid center, but at 24, his ceiling is considerably lower than Scott's. He's also had considerable offensive struggles, and was DFA'd by the Cincinnati Reds. That's why we ranked Scott as an untouchable trade asset on the Noot News Podcast.

Thus, trading Scott would hurt the organization in the long term. It would hurt the Cardinals in a way trading almost anybody else wouldn't. Scott is by no means the best player in the organization, but he has the least competition. The Cardinals may survive 2024 with Edman in center. However, Edman will likely be departing after the 2024 season. Other than Scott, the Cardinals have zero legitimate options to play the position.

SP Cooper Hjerpe

The Cardinals' problems developing starting pitching over the last several years are well documented. But now, they've got a group of promising young starters making their way through the system. In addition to Cooper Hjerpe, evaluators are excited about Gordon Graceffo, Tink Hence, and Tekoah Roby. It's possible the Cardinals will have to trade at least one of these pitchers to acquire a proven major league starter. If they do that, they should avoid trading Hjerpe.

Hjerpe is a funky lefty with strong control. He pitches from a unique arm slot that's been described by evaluators as deceptive. This also allows him to hide the ball longer, preventing hitters from squaring him up. Hjerpe has a relatively high floor and could someday pitch at or near the front of the rotation. He's worth keeping on his own merit. But, the reason they should avoid trading him is because of how he compares to the other pitchers.

Tink Hence has the highest ceiling of the four but also has the lowest floor. He's struggled when his workload exceeds 60 innings. Some are now suggesting that he could profile as a reliever long-term. 2024 will be a critical season for Hence. Gordon Graceffo has the lowest ceiling of the four. He just doesn't have ace "stuff," and he struggled with Memphis in 2023. While he's likely to start in the big leagues, he may be closer to the back end of the rotation than the front. Tekoah Roby's biggest problem is his concerning injury history. He's already had shoulder problems, which is especially scary for a young pitcher. Generally, shoulder issues are much more difficult to deal with than elbow issues, although it must be noted that every injury must be assessed individually. Additionally, Roby has struggled in the minors. He had a tough season with Texas' AA affiliate before the trade deadline, and though he bounced back in Springfield, he struggled again in the Arizona Fall League.

That leaves Hjerpe as the last man standing in some ways. He's in the group with the higher floors, and he's in the group with the higher ceilings. He's performed well in the minors, and he has a less concerning injury history. Plus, he's handled large workloads in the past. For these reasons, he's the pitching prospect the Cardinals should be least interested in trading.

SS Masyn Winn

Winn finished the season just inside of MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospects, and he ranked at the top of the Cardinals' farm system. This ranking is well-earned. He had an outstanding season at the AAA level. Winn's bat took major steps forward, especially in the power department. After a cold start, Winn caught fire in May and mashed all summer long. The Cardinals called Winn up in August, later than many fans had hoped.

Following his call-up, Winn endured a difficult stretch at the plate. He struggled to hit for power and struck out more than he had in the minors. In 122 at-bats, he registered an OPS of .467, good for a 29 OPS+. However, he continued to shine defensively. Winn's arm immediately broke statcast! His range was equally impressive. He boasted a strong .980 fielding percentage. Unfortunately, he didn't reach base enough to show off his wheels, but that's a tool that certainly hasn't gone away.

How to digest that stretch is quite the conundrum. Is Winn still as exciting as he was before his call-up? I'd argue he's every bit as exciting. The Cardinals saw his three most vaunted tools translate well to the big leagues. His offensive struggles are understandable. After all, he hasn't even celebrated his 22nd birthday! It will take Winn some time to figure out major-league pitching. This is merely the continuation of a well-established pattern in the minors. At each stop, Winn took several weeks (sometimes months) to acclimate. Then, he excelled. Even if he doesn't emerge as a legitimate power threat, Winn will be close to league average offensively. That, paired with his defense, is a very valuable player. Having Winn at shortstop every day will go a long way toward solving the defensive problems that plagued the 2023 team.

But, as with the previous two players, that isn't the primary reason the team shouldn't trade him. The Cardinals shouldn't trade Winn because they lack organizational depth at his position. Sure, the major league roster has a few guys capable of playing shortstop. Edman is an excellent defender at the position, and Donovan is passable. But, outside of them, there aren't a ton of options. As I mentioned earlier, Edman will be out within the next year, and the Cardinals will have no full-time options outside of Winn. The only other interesting prospect at shortstop is an 18-year-old who just struggled at Palm Beach. Jonathan Mejia has exciting tools, but he's nowhere near major league-ready.

As with Scott, trading Winn would hamstring the organization long term. They'd be forced to acquire outside talent. Unfortunately, that market does not exist at the moment. After two strong shortstop classes reached free agency in 2022 and 2023, the 2024 class is underwhelming. If the Cardinals were going to go that route, they needed to do so a year or two ago. Now, they're locked in with Winn, meaning they should do whatever it takes to keep him.

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