Cardinals Legend Hints St. Louis Hit Jackpot in Willson Contreras Trade

Was this deal the biggest win of the offseason?

Aug 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) circles the bases after a two-run home run by third baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) during the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Trades were the theme of the offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals, and the next few seasons will slowly reveal how successful those deals were in helping to jumpstart the rebuild.

Dealing Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox was the second big move of the Cardinals' offseason, and the first involving a player under contract for multiple seasons. It took a big veteran bat out of the middle of the order, but it brought in three interesting pitchers who could all impact St. Louis' future.

Hunter Dobbins has major league experience, and Blake Aita has some sleeper potential. However, 19-year-old righty Yhoiker Fajardo was the name most considered the headliner of the deal at the time, and the youngster recently got a strong endorsement from a big name in the Cardinals organization.

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Jason Isringhausen hails Fajardo as 'great pickup'

Aug 24, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals former pitcher Jason Isringhausen waves to fans after he was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame prior to a game against the Colorado Rockies during an MLB Players' Weekend game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Fajardo appeared in Thursday's "Spring Breakout" exhibition for the Cardinals alongside several of the organization's top prospects.

That group was managed by St. Louis' all-time saves leader, Jason Isringhausen, who talked up Fajardo and referenced the Cardinals' big jump in MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings as a reason to be excited about the future in his postgame comments.

“He pitches like he is a seasoned veteran,” Isringhausen said, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “He was another great pickup that we were able to get. I know we didn’t like trading our big guns, but the players we got back are pretty good. It makes our system jump from (19th to fourth). Fajardo seems very polished for a 19-year-old.”

Fajardo pitched to an impressive 2.25 ERA in 72 innings in rookie ball and Low-A in the Boston system last year. He struck out 83 batters, walked 27, and allowed just 52 hits. If there's any reason for concern, it's that his fastball has thus far lacked impressive movement characteristics and sits in the low to mid 90s.

This will be a big year in Fajardo's development, but receiving a ringing endorsement from a legend like Isringhausen, especially on a night where he let up three runs to the Washington Nationals prospects, certainly bodes well.