Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Trade Addition on Verge of Breakout Season in St. Louis

The Cardinals could have struck gold with the Steven Matz trade last season...
Zach Pressnell|
Worcester third baseman Blaze Jordan runs off the field at Polar Park July 29.
Worcester third baseman Blaze Jordan runs off the field at Polar Park July 29. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to rebuild their roster over the coming years, but this starts with big trades that send veteran stars to contenders.

The Cardinals have swung multiple big trades this offseason to send players like Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Nolan Arenado to new teams. With that in mind, it's going to be crucial for the Cardinals that their top prospects takeover the big leagues in the coming years.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Just Baseball's Adam Akbani recently shared a lot of high praise for Cardinals infield prospect Blaze Jordan, going as far as to suggest he could make an impact in St. Louis as early as this season. Jordan was acquired in the Steven Matz trade with the Boston Red Sox last year.

Blaze Jordan could be in position to make an impact in St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Blaze Jorda
Worcester’s Blaze Jordan bats against Lehigh Valley at Polar Park July 29. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Acquired in the Steven Matz trade, Blaze Jordan has been in the spotlight since he was 15 years old.He hasn’t quite lived up to the hype as a professional, failing to consistently translate his thunderous raw power in-game," Akbani wrote. "In 2025, Jordan posted a cool 114 wRC+ with Triple-A Worcester, but was terrible at Memphis with a 56 wRC+.

"His swing decisions aren’t stellar, but he flashed an impressive 88.9 Z-Contact%, giving him a projectible bat-to-ball/ raw juice combination. Before the Willson Contreras deal, there was a logjam of 1B/LF/DH profiles on the 40-man, but his departure should create some plate appearances for Blaze. He looks like a future platoon hitter with some helium."

Jordan has incredible raw power, which has been his calling card for nearly a decade. He struggles to bring the power over to games consistently, but it's still an incredible trait.

He has a lot of potential, which makes him an intriguing bat to follow. With Contreras being traded to the Red Sox, there's a clear path to starting in St. Louis.

Jordan is going to need to put together a solid spring, but if he can do that, there's a chance he breaks into the big leagues around the All-Star break.

More MLB: Cardinals 24-Year-Old Catcher Has Bright Future in St. Louis

Published
Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

Home/St. Louis Cardinals News