Grading Cardinals Underrated Trade for Brayden Smith

The St. Louis Cardinals made yet another trade on Monday night.

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 reportedly agreed to terms on an under-the-radar trade on Monday night to send 30-year-old left-handed hurler Nick Raquet, who recently was designated for assignment, to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Baltimore Orioles outfielder prospect Brayden Smith.

Ari Alexander of 7News Boston WHDH was the first to report on Monday that Raquet was being traded to Baltimore. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Smith would be coming back to town as a return.

On Monday night, we broke down the deal in the aftermath of the reports surfacing. You can find the full breakdown right here. Now, let's grade it for St. Louis.

Grading Cardinals-Orioles Nick Raquet-Brayden Smith Trade: B

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Nick Raquet (70) delivers a pitch during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cardinals made a good move on Monday, although St. Louis likely won't feel the impact at the major league level for some time. Raquet made two big league appearances in 2025 and was in Triple-A when he was DFA'd and now ultimately traded. He joined the Cardinals organization ahead of the 2024 season and was solid overall for St. Louis.

But the Cardinals designated him for assignment and he wasn't in the majors. Clearly, he wasn't a part of the long-term vision of the 2026 season. So, trading a guy who wasn't on the big league roster for another lottery ticket doesn't hurt. It doesn't mean that Smith is going to have some sort of meteoric rise now that he's in the Cardinals' system. But he is a 22-year-old outfielder in his first full professional season after being drafted in the 13th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. The Cardinals already cleared a 40-man roster spot by designating Raquet for assignment. So, everything after that is just extra.

With Smith, the Cardinals are getting an outfielder with good size at 6' and 190 pounds from one of the better farm systems in the league. If Smith could turn out to be a big league contributor in a few years, that would be great. Right now, he's organizational depth and at least another opportunity to try to find something in the outfield. This deal gets a "B" because it is positive. It isn't big enough, or impactful enough at the big league future in the near future to go higher than this. But this is a deal that is good for the club.

The Cardinals could've simply lost Raquet for nothing after he was DFA'd. Instead, they got a young outfielder to try to develop. That's a good move by Chaim Bloom.