Which St. Louis Cardinals' players have increased or decreased their trade value?

At the beginning of the year, expectations were high for many players on the St. Louis Cardinals. Some players exceeded those expectations and boosted their trade value while others decreased their value.
Houston Astros v St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros v St. Louis Cardinals / Scott Kane/GettyImages
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The Overperformers: Part 1

Jordan Montgomery

Last year, the Cardinals and Yankees made a surprise last-second trade at the deadline. The Yankees acquired an injured Harrison Bader and in turn, sent lefty Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals. Monty quickly settled in with the team, leading a postseason push alongside Jose Quintana, another deadline acquisition.

Montgomery wasn't an ace of a staff, but he was definitely a very reliable pitcher who could eat innings and limit damage. For his career, he has a 3.76 ERA, a 1.218 WHIP, a 3.76 FIP, and a 113 ERA+. Since the Cardinals acquired him, he has a 3.18 ERA, a 3.28 FIP, and a 1.115 WHIP, for an ERA+ of 130. He has been outstanding for the Cardinals, pitching similarly to a staff ace. His numbers on the season are stronger than his career numbers, and that has increased his value.

Paul DeJong

Here's a doozy. Paul DeJong has been a player who occasionally will give hope to fans only to revert to high strikeout rates, hitting into double plays, and whiffing at pitches not even close. For his career, DeJong has a slash line of .233/.306/.431 and an OPS+ of 98. His career strikeout rate is 26.4% to an 8% walk rate. DeJong's defense has always been at the top of the league.

On the season, DeJong's numbers outpace his career stats. He is slashing .240/.317/.460 for an OPS+ of 110. He is striking out at 26%, however. The main difference in DeJong's success this year is his home run percentage (5.4%), which is backed by his hard-hit percentage (40.3%). On the defensive side, DeJong has racked up 6 Outs Above Average thus far for the season. He does very well coming in and moving to his right, but he struggles when moving towards first base.

There are plenty of teams who will take a defense-first shortstop with power potential on a contract that is relatively cheap. His contract also has two club options that can be exercised.