The St. Louis Cardinals were involved in pretty much every rumor that came out during the 2022 MLB trade deadline. Whoever was rumored to be available, the Cardinals were rumored to be pursuing. It wasn't totally surprising considering that the Cardinals are battling to earn a playoff spot, and needed some reinforcements in order to make it happen.
In the end, the Cardinals didn't make as many moves as they were initially expected to. They added a couple of pitchers to shore up a pitching staff that desperately needed help, but other than that, they ended up standing pat and not making the big moves they were rumored to be in on.
It's worth noting that St. Louis is a better team than they were before the deadline. But given all the hype surrounding their deadline work, it's hard to not be a bit disappointed by their failure to swing a massive move. Let's take a closer look at the Cardinals deadline work and hand them a final grade for their work.
St. Louis Cardinals 2022 MLB trade deadline final grade
The Cardinals made three notable deals during their trade deadline work, and all of them brought pitchers back to St. Louis. They aren't exactly the most exciting deals ever, but it's clear the Cardinals are a better team as a result of making these deals.
The first move the Cards made involved picking up minor league reliever JoJo Romero from the Philadelphia Phillis in return for utility infielder Edmundo Sosa. Sosa was expendable with Paul DeJong set to get promoted back to the major league squad, and the Cardinals dealt him for Romero, a young reliever who has bounced all over the minors this season.
Romero has been making his way back from Tommy John surgery this season, and has only appeared in 13 games on the season as a result. He's been solid in his stints with triple-A, which is where he's playing for the Cardinals right now. He appeared in two innings for the Phillies this season, but holds a 13.50 ERA in those outings. Romero has some upside, and could help St. Louis' bullpen in the future.
Romero's acquisition certainly isn't going to change the Cardinals fortunes, but their next two deals could. They made a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates the day before the deadline to add lefty starter Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton in exchange for prospects Johan Oviedo and Malcom Nunez.
Quintana is in the middle of a bounce back campaign, which allowed the Pirates to sell him in their efforts to aid their rebuild. Quintana will slot into the back of the Cardinals rotation as they wait for Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz to return from the injured list. Quintana's stats this season (3-5, 3.39 ERA, 96 K, 1.23 WHIP) have been solid, and he should help a Cardinals rotation that has been decimated by injuries recently.
Stratton on the other hand will become a valuable bullpen piece for St. Louis. He struggled with the Pirates after a successful 2021 campaign, but he's already posted two scoreless outings for the Cardinals, and should continue to be an important arm out of the bullpen during this stretch run for the Cards.
Arguably the biggest move of the day came right before the deadline, as the Cardinals acquired another left handed starter in Jordan Montgomery from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. This move opens up playing time for Nolan Gorman in the outfield, and gave the Cardinals another starter to fill in their rotation.
Montgomery had been a solid starter for the Yanks this season (3-3, 3.69 ERA, 97 K, 1.10 WHIP), and wasn't really expected to be available at the deadline. But he was, and the Cardinals made a great move adding him to their rotation. Of their moves, picking up Montgomery in exchange for just Bader was easily St. Louis' best of the deadline.
Of course, we can't mention the Cardinals trade deadline activity without mentioning their failed pursuit of Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto. The Cardinals were one of the final teams in the running for Soto, but were outbid by the San Diego Padres, which is a very disappointing development for the Cards and their fans. Soto could have been the piece that put this team over the top, but instead, they will be wondering whether or not they just missed out on a potentially franchise altering move.
Final Grade: B
This wasn't a super flashy trade deadline from the Cardinals, but it helped them shore up their biggest area of need, which was pitching. They missed out on some of their bigger targets, which isn't super encouraging, and ultimately takes away from their grade. But the trio of Montgomery, Quintana, and Stratton should pay dividends immediately, and St. Louis didn't really have to give up much to get them. The Cardinals 2022 MLB trade deadline was good, but it almost certainly could have been better.
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