Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Trade Deadline Addition Already Turning Heads

The Cardinals landed a good one on the trade market...
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals had an exciting week leading up to the trade deadline. They executed three trade deadline deals, most notably sending Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets for a package of prospects in return.

St. Louis also traded Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers and Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox this year.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently called Cardinals trade deadline addition Jesus Baez one of the better prospects traded at the deadline. The Cardinals acquired Baez in the Helsley deal with the Mets.

"The New York Mets signed Jesus Baez for a modest $275,000 during the 2022 international signing window, but he quickly outperformed expectations with a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League in his pro debut," Reuter wrote. "The 20-year-old has continued to impress against older competition this season while splitting the year between Single-A and High-A, hitting .242/.334/.390 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 42 RBI and a solid 11.3 percent walk rate in 76 games.

"With 60-grade raw power and a strong throwing arm, his future home will likely be third base, and he is a candidate to take a major step forward during the 2026 season as he continues to climb the minor league ladder."

Although the overall return for Helsley has received some criticism, Baez is a very talented prospect with a lot of untapped potential. He's a very toolsy prospect with all the traits to be successful. At 20 years old, he's struggled to consistently find the barrel, but when he does, he generates eye-popping exit velocity numbers.

According to MLB Pipeline, Baez is already the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect. He's bound to put the pieces together in order to be big league ready in the next few years. The Cardinals certainly got themselves a good one.

More MLB: Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis Predicted To Cut Ties With Veteran Ace

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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

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