Despite posting their worst single-season winning percentage since 1995 last year, the St. Louis Cardinals expected to field a contending team in 2024. Four months into the season, the Cardinals are five games above .500 and currently occupy one of the three wild card positions in the National League.
St. Louis' recipe for winning this season is different than years past. When the Cardinals won 93 games and the NL Central in 2022 they finished top five in runs scored and team OPS. This year St. Louis ranks 24th in runs and 19th in OPS. Its pitching staff has been average at best, leaving the Cardinals little room for error when it comes to improving before the MLB trade deadline.
It's believed that the Cardinals are eyeing pitching over the next week, although a move of heavy significance is not expected. St. Louis will instead try to acquire more complementary pieces, but the organization does not want to stay put before the most important games of the season begin.
“You’re always looking to find ways to make sure you’re entering August and September more with a bounce than a thud,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Molzeliak said per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
While the Cardinals don’t find their farm system toward the upper echelon of Major League Baseball there is decent depth within it they can tap into for trades. The Cardinals won’t be involved in deals that include top 100 prospects, so this list focuses on a few lower-tier names St. Louis might dangle in trade negotiations before Tuesday's deadline.
Top-10 prospect up for grabs in St. Louis?
A 2021 fifth-round pick, Gordon Graceffo worked his way to the upper levels of the Cardinals' minor league system in less than two seasons. He spent the entire 2023 season with Triple-A Memphis but did not pitch well after dealing with right shoulder inflammation. St. Louis kept him in Memphis to start this season and he earned a shot in the bigs, making his MLB debut on June 29.
Graceffo allowed one run on three hits and two walks across 4 1/3 innings of relief against the Cincinnati Reds. He added four strikeouts while recording the final 13 outs of a 9-4 Cardinals loss. He followed that by surrendering three runs in 3 1/3 innings in his first major league start, eventually taking the loss against the Kansas City Royals.
Upon returning to Triple-A, Graceffo is getting roughed up. He allowed eight earned runs in as many innings over his last two starts with Memphis. He scattered a season-high ten hits across five innings on Tuesday, allowing five earned runs to raise his season ERA to 4.34.
While both of his promotions were spot call-ups, Graceffo earned them with his performance in June. He won all four starts he made with Memphis in the month, posting a 2.05 ERA with 21 strikeouts and six walks. He tossed a pair of scoreless outings and two quality starts in June.
Graceffo touches the upper 90s with his fastball but stays in the 93-96 range, although his best pitch is his slider. He needs to develop more swing and misses with his changeup and fine-tune his curveball to become an MLB regular. He flashed a higher upside before his shoulder issues, recording a 2.77 ERA in his first 37 professional appearances, 27 of them starts.
Graceffo offers value and now has some major league experience as a top-10 prospect in the Cardinals organization. Four pitchers are ranked above him in the system, so losing him won’t crush St. Louis' minor league pitching depth. He could make the difference in a trade and offers flexibility as a starter or long reliever in the final months of the season.
Promising outfielder could be used as trade bait
Following a successful college career at Boston College, Travis Honeyman dropped to the third round of last year's draft. The Cardinals took a chance on the tight-swinged outfielder and the early returns are fantastic.
Honeyman did not play affiliated ball last year to rest a shoulder injury but already earned a promotion in his first professional season. Though his year has been marred by injury with two trips to the injured list, Honeyman played exceptionally well in the 20 games he hit the diamond.
The 22-year-old reached base safely in 16 games, posting a .908 OPS. He was promoted to Class-A Palm Beach after going 7-for-17 with four doubles in six rookie ball games and hit .321 across 60 plate appearances before hitting the bench with an injury.
Honeyman rarely strikes out and consistently makes contact with the ball. His bat-to-ball skills are incredible and he should be able to add some pop to his bat. The key is staying on the field, but Honeyman has impressed the Cardinals in short order.
St. Louis has several other outfield prospects ahead of Honeyman, their 11th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He's yet to play the field in the minors but saw action at all three outfield positions in college, the corners more than center.
The Cardinals might hang onto Honeyman simply because they haven’t seen much of him over the last 12 months. St. Louis has other outfield prospects they might value more though and if a team wants to take a chance on the oft-injured right-handed bat, why should St. Louis say no if it means getting the best player in the deal?
Triple-A starter heating up as Cards prep for deadline
The Cardinals farm system is loaded with arm talent, something St. Louis has long prided itself on. The Cardinals often have a great pitching staff and try to keep their depth as good as any team in the league. A look at their top 30 prospects shows 18 pitchers, giving St. Louis plenty of length when it comes to finding innings.
Among the middle crop of those prospects is Ian Bedell, a 24-year-old who is putting it all together in Triple-A. Bedell earned his highest promotion yet as a pro in June following an abbreviated start to his career. Drafted in 2020, he did not play a full minor league season until 2023 following Tommy John surgery.
Bedell recorded a sub-three ERA in June and did the same across three starts in July. He registered consecutive quality starts in his last two outings, allowing one run across seven innings in each. While his control has been relatively solid throughout his career, he did issue 14 walks in his first five starts with Memphis.
The right-hander uses his fastball and sinker well while working on perfecting a slider that's shown plus potential this season. He also deploys a changeup and curveball and has the means to build a decent five-pitch mix in the majors.
If Bedell continues to pitch well in Triple-A to close the season, there's no reason he shouldn’t have a chance to make a major league roster next year. He's hit his marks in a potential make-or-break year and increased his trade value even if his name isn’t mentioned in trade discussions.
The Cardinals have over a dozen promising pitchers working on their craft in the minor leagues. A few of them are bound to be moved if St. Louis wants to make an impact acquisition. Bedell might be one of them with a little added value from his recent appearances.
Follow Us
Subscribe
