Cardinals' 2025 Red Sox Swap Is Aging Like Fine Wine

The St. Louis Cardinals made a great move ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.

Jul 28, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Steven Matz (32) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have made some very good moves over the last year.

St. Louis was active ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season and traded Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Brendan Donovan away. Each of the four trades have been analyzed endlessly since. Each of the four deals have been positive for the club throughout the 2026 campaign. But there's another deal that should be talked about even more as an absolute win.

Last season, the Cardinals traded lefty Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infield prospect Blaze Jordan. It was a one-for-one deal. Boston sent the 23-year-old to the Cardinals in exchange for a few months of Matz as a rental.

The Cardinals Made A Great Deal

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Blaze Jordan (84). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Matz was very good in Boston's bullpen. He made 21 appearances and had a 2.08 ERA and 12-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 2/3 innings pitched. While this is the case, St. Louis clearly won the deal. Jordan flashed some power in the Cardinals' farm system after the deal and has taken his game to another level this season.

In 2025, he played in 41 games for Triple-A Memphis and slashed .198/.242/.366 with a .608 OPS, seven homers, 37 RBIs, 10 walks, six doubles and 21 runs scored. He has been significantly better this season and looks like he's ready to help the Cardinals out in the big leagues. Jordan has played in 46 games so far this season with Memphis and is slashing .317/.375/.546 with a .921 OPS, nine homers, 29 RBIs, 14 walks, 15 doubles, and 29 runs scored.

Again, this guy is just 23 years old. He was a third-round pick in 2020 and hasn't made his big league debut yet. So, the Cardinals have years of control ahead and so far this season he has looked like he can contribute to the big league club.

Jordan can play first base and third base. Right now, Alec Burleson has first base locked up and Nolan Gorman is at third base in the majors. But if the club were to trade either, they have a ready-made replacement ready to go down in Triple-A. He's also a right-handed bat. The Cardinals are lefty-heavy, so the fact that Jordan is a righty makes him stand out even more. All in all, a big win for the Cardinals and they are going to feel the impact for years to come.