This unique way of getting top prospects will help the Cardinals return to supremacy

In the 2010s, the growing trend throughout baseball — and throughout most North American sports — was something known as "tanking." Tanking was a bit of an umbrella term, but teams would essentially trade away any and all valuable players during a downturn in their competitive window for draft picks, young players, or prospects to help the team down the road.

The team trading away talented and proven professionals would see plenty of consecutive losing seasons, but the result in the end would be worth it, right, Machiavelli? Teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros were the poster teams for this process. Others, such as the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, and Washington Nationals, have yet to reap the benefits of decade-long tanks.

Tanking is no longer a practice in baseball to that extent. Teams do indeed trade valuable veterans, but the analysis and returns are far more thought out than they used to be. With the St. Louis Cardinals entering a rebuild, the potential for "tanking" grows with each passing rumor.

When reports surfaced that the St. Louis Cardinals were signing free agent starting pitcher Dustin May to a contract soon after trading a starting pitcher in Sonny Gray, some fans grew perplexed. The team had a starting pitcher, a better one at that, but they opted to trade him and then sign a free agent. What gives?

Perhaps this is the new way of operating under Chaim Bloom as the club enters a rebuild of sorts. By trading Sonny Gray and sending cash to help offset his contract, the Cardinals netted two pitchers. Richard Fitts will slot into the rotation in 2026, and Brandon Clarke will be a prospect we can dream on for 2027 and beyond. Those are two players that the Cardinals haven't been able to produce in recent years, and the front office used a trade chip in Sonny Gray to fill in gaps in the farm system and rotation.

Signing free agents to then flip them at the deadline is the quickest route for the St. Louis Cardinals to return to prominence.

Dustin May is still only 28 years old. He's certainly young as far as free agents go. There's a chance he pitches well this season and the Cardinals extend him into their next window of contention with a multi-year deal. However, there's an equal if not greater chance that May is using this one-year deal to catapult him into a multi-year deal with a bigger market team, assuming he pitches well and stays healthy in 2026.

This mutual interest in a short-term deal with long-term gains for both player and team led me to posit a new theory regarding the Cardinals' rebuild. I believe that Chaim Bloom will use these short-term players such as Dustin May and other potential free agent signings this winter to then flip at the deadline for prospects.

The price of pitching is typically higher at the trade deadline due to the urgency and scarcity in the market. If Dustin May pitches well from April through July, his value will be quite high for a contending team looking to deepen their starting pitching depth. This process, which can sometimes be dubbed "buying prospects" (see the New York Mets back at the 2023 trade deadline when they traded veterans Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander along with ample cash for prospects), could be an effective way for the Cardinals to expedite their return to National League supremacy.

St. Louis dipped their toes into this practice last year when they signed reliever Phil Maton to a cheap deal in the offseason. Maton was exceptional in the first half of the year, and he became a valuable trade chip at the deadline, bringing back LHP Mason Molina and RHP Skylar Hales from the Texas Rangers.

It's not a fun way for fans to watch baseball, as they won't get to become familiar with many players whom the Cardinals sign; however, it could be an effective way to build up the farm system for a push come 2028.

While we may all be tired of hearing this word, patience is a virtue we as fans will have to practice for the foreseeable future. These prospects will take time to develop and make impacts on the major-league team.