Cardinals Hit Jackpot, 2 Prospects Could be Fast Tracked to St. Louis

The Cardinals were able to bring in a slew of prospects in trades over the last few months...

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have opted to rebuild this offseason, which was the right decision for their franchise. But they opted to rebuild more aggressively than many anticipated. They swung a pair of trades with the Boston Red Sox to open the offseason, trading Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to Boston.

They also moved Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners.

Now they're left with a slew of top prospects set to take over in St. Louis. They're going to need to bring up multiple top young stars if they want to stay competitive this season. Which young prospects could be on the fast track to the big leagues?

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MLB.com's Will Leitch recently suggested top pitching prospects Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, both acquired in trades this winter, could be on the fast track to the big leagues this spring.

Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins could debut in St. Louis early this spring

Jun 20, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins (73) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"There are other options, of course, including Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, two 26-year-olds Bloom acquired from Boston in trades for Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras," Leitch wrote. "And that’s the point.

"The Cardinals have been bedeviled the past few seasons by having so little system depth that players like Jose Barrero, Garrett Hampson, Ryan Valade, Anthony Veneziano and Jorge Alcala have had to fill in. That is no longer an issue. There are young guys rushing the gate. They’ll be here before you know it."

The Cardinals don't have much proven talent in their starting rotation. As a result, Fitts and Dobbins could be the first two prospect pitchers to be given a chance at the big-league level. Fitts and Dobbins are two of the only pitchers on the Cardinals' top prospect list with big league experience.

These two don't have the potential that pitchers like Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and others have, but Fitts and Dobbins have already proved they can compete at the big league level. It'll be interesting to see how they both adjust to pitching in St. Louis for a rebuilding club. Either way, it wouldn't be shocking to see one or both young pitchers on the opening day roster.

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