Cardinals-Orioles Nick Raquet Trade Looks Like St. Louis Win

The St. Louis Cardinals made an intriguing move on Monday night to acquire Brayden Smith.

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; A detailed view of Baltimore Orioles baseball hats and gloves in the dugout during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have another trade on their hands, although at a much smaller scale than the roller coaster that was this past offseason.

St. Louis traded Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras this past offseason. On Monday, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom got the phone dialing again and reportedly agreed to trade 30-year-old left-handed hurler Nick Raquet to the Baltimore Orioles, according to 7News Boston WHDH's Ari Alexander.

"Source: The St. Louis Cardinals are trading LHP Nick Raquet to the Baltimore Orioles," Alexander wrote. "The Cardinals DFA’d Raquet, who threw two scoreless innings for them in 2025."

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed the deal while reporting that outfielder prospect Brayden Smith is coming to St. Louis.

"Can confirm this happening. Cardinals are getting Brayden Smith, an outfielder, per source," Goold wrote on X.

Cardinals-Orioles Trade Breakdown

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Nick Raquet (70). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Raquet made his big league debut as a member of the Cardinals in 2025. He appeared in two games with the club in the majors and didn't allow an earned run. The Cardinals designated him for assignment on Sunday. St. Louis called up Jared Shuster, optioned Chris Roycroft and needed a 40-man roster spot, so they moved on from Raquet.

With this deal, the Cardinals are getting a 22-year-old outfielder in Smith who hasn't advanced past High-A yet. He was a 13th-round pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by Baltimore out of Oklahoma State University and made 16 appearances in Class-A in 2025 and was a .200 hitter. He began the 2026 season in High-A in the Orioles' organization, but appeared in just one game before the trade.

Smith has intriguing upside. In 2025, he slashed .304/.388/.548 with 11 homers, 40 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 28 walks in 54 games played in his final season of college baseball. So, the Cardinals are getting a young infielder with upside in the lower levels of the minor leagues for a hurler they were planning on moving on from anyway.

If Raquet had gone unclaimed on waivers, the Cardinals could've outrighted him down to the minors. Instead, the Cardinals get a return for him. For St. Louis, this is a good move. There's enough pitching down in the minors to think the Cardinals didn't lose much and they get another lottery pick of a prospect. A good move through and through.