The St. Louis Cardinals have loaded on prospects in the first of what could be a fire sale for the organization looking to improve for the future.
The Cardinals received five prospects in exchange for pitchers in their final years of control with the organization.
In a deal with the Texas Rangers, the Cardinals are trading lefty starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and right-handed reliever Chris Stratton in exchange for infielder Thomas Saggese, RHP Tekoah Roby, and LHP John King.
In a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cardinals are trading RHP Jordan Hicks for RHP Sem Robberse and RHP Adam Kloffenstein.
Overall, these deals seem to do what President of baseball operations John Mozeliak wanted to accomplish. The deals move pitchers on the final years of their contracts in exchange for young prospects that can help carry the Cardinals into the future.
The moves have the bullpen down two arms and the rotation down a left-handed arm. Adam Wainwright, who is in his final season as a Major Leaguer, leads a rotation that now includes Miles Mikolas, Matthew Liberatore, Steven Matz, and, for now, Jack Flaherty.
Flaherty is also expected to depart the team before the trade deadline on Aug. 1.
In addition to Flaherty, the rumor mill has also mentioned teams looking into Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, and Paul DeJong. While the Cardinals may not return a big name during this deadline period, they are looking to add depth to a minor league system that has declined over the past few seasons. These moves could allow the Cardinals to bring up pitchers who are having good seasons at AAA Memphis but haven't been brought up due to that lack of depth in the system.
All five prospects are expected to be assigned to AAA Memphis.
Let's take a closer look at the prospects the Cardinals were able to get in these deals.
Who did the Cardinals get from the Rangers for LHP Jordan Montgomery and RHP Chris Stratton?
Cardinals trade acquisition: IF Thomas Saggese
Saggese plays the Rangers AA affiliate's second base, shortstop, and third base. While it's believed the new players will go to AAA Memphis, this would be an excellent promotion for the 21-year-old.
Saggese was drafted out of Carlsbad High School in California in the 2020 June Amateur Draft. He was drafted in the fifth round with the 14th pick at 145th overall. This season, he's hitting .314/.380/.514 with an OPS of .894. He has 22 doubles, three triples, and 15 home runs. He has 67 runs and 78 RBI.
While MLB.com has Saggese as the Cardinals' 8th overall prospect, Fangraphs had Saggese as the Rangers' No. 17 prospect. Eric Longenhagen said, "Saggese has a very old school baseball vibe about him: no batting gloves, a simple, wristy swing that sprays fastballs the other way, and sound infield defense reliant on effort and feel more than athleticism." He added that Saggese is best at recognizing and destroying breaking balls.
"A majority of his extra-base hits so far in 2023 have come against sliders, which he tracks and whacks with robot-like precision," Longenhagen said.
He added that Saggese should have a lengthy big-league career as a part-time regular at second and third.
This is not the most glowing review of a player, but his profile reflects the type of scrappy player that often finds success in the Cardinals organization. While it may not be the case right away, he should be an exciting addition to the organization.
RHP Tekoah Roby
At 21, Roby was the fifth-overall prospect in the Rangers organization. A shoulder injury has him on the injured list, however.
In a post-game press conference addressing the trades, Mozeliak said Roby would be sent to the Cardinals facility in Jupiter to have the player evaluated to see how they should move forward with the promising young arm. He has been injured in two of his three years with the Rangers.
Before going on the injured list, Roby compiled a 2-3 record with an ERA of 5.05 over ten games started. He's pitched 46.1 innings with 50 strikeouts.
Roby comes in as the Cardinals' No. 4 overall prospect.
According to MLB.com, Roby doesn't have a true plus pitch but could have four solid offerings once fully developed. He has a loose arm that should consistently throw strikes, something the Cardinals desperately need in a pitcher. MLB.com said Roby could pair "a fastball that plays better than its 92-96 mph velocity thanks to its outstanding induced vertical break and the extension in his delivery with a high-spin upper-70s curveball with downer break. He can also operate east and west with a fading low-80s changeup moving in the opposite direction from a low-80s slider."
Roby's profile is exciting but somewhat apprehensive, given his injury history. Hopefully, the team will devise a plan in the coming days to work with Roby to get him healthy and ready for the big leagues. He is not the typical pitcher the Cardinals seek out, which makes him exciting. Hopefully, a change in scenery to the Cardinals organization will help Roby get back on a healthy track.
LHP John King
King has traveled back and forth between the Rangers and their AAA affiliate this summer, providing some depth.
In 15 games, he is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA. He has ten strikeouts in 18.2 innings. King's pitch arsenal includes a sinker, changeup, slider, and four-seam fastball. He has a 65.7-percent ground ball rate, which the Cardinals usually look for in a pitcher. He gets a whiff on his slider, which has been a putaway pitch for him.
The pitch averages 85.2 mph with an active spin of 18 percent and 3.6 inches of movement. It will be curious to see with the Cardinals have him work on, as his slider could be a devastating pitch in later innings for the bullpen.
King could be the first player Cardinals fans see from this deal.
What did the Cardinals receive from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Jordan Hicks?
RHP Sem Robberse
Weeks after playing for the American League in the Futures Game, Robberse was part of a trade Sunday bringing him to the St. Louis Cardinals. He is now the No. 6 prospect in the organization.
Robberse came to the Blue Jays from the Netherlands in 2019.
He's started in 18 games for the Blue Jays AA affiliate accumulating a 3-5 record and will be promoted to the Cardinals AAA Memphis affiliate. This season has a 4.06 ERA over 88.2 innings, striking out 86 batters thus far.
He hopes to increase his strikeout rate and quickly join the Cardinals rotation.
RHP Adam Kloffenstein
Kloffenstein, 22, was placed as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the Cardinals organization shortly after the trade became official. Kloffenstein was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2018, in the third round with the 88th pick.
The 6-5 righty, Kloffenstein, runs a low-90s sinker in on righties allowing him to eliminate damage and generate a ground-ball rate of 50 percent. The youngster has a four-seam fastball that reaches 96 mph. He has a sweeping pitch that ranges in the mid-80s and a cutter pitch that can range in the upper-80s. Mixing the pitches with a two-seam fastball, he can increase his strikeouts which the Cardinals want to add.
Kloffenstein will join the Cardinals AAA affiliate in Memphis. At the Blue Jays AA affiliate, Kloffenstein has a 5-5 record with an ERA of 3.24 over 17 games started. In 89 innings pitched, he has thrown 105 strikeouts.
While he has some pitchers ahead of him in the prospects rankings, he is slated to make his major league debut in 2024. With the rotation in flux, seeing how Kloffenstein develops over the next few weeks and months will be fun.