Why Cardinals May Be Forced To Part Ways With Former 3rd-Round Pick

An offseason checkpoint approaches...

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

All 30 Major League Baseball teams have a reason to be slightly worried about Wednesday evening.

The Rule 5 Draft takes place Wednesday in Orlando at the end of the winter meetings, and like their peers, the St. Louis Cardinals have to wonder whether any of their prospects will be snagged. St. Louis protected four eligible prospects from being selected by elevating them to the 40-man roster in mid-November.

With a rebuild tipping off, the Cardinals surely would love to keep all the prospect talent they can. But a pair of MLB Pipeline site experts believe there's at least a decent chance one of their recent third-round picks could be plucked away.

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Will Pete Hansen go in Rule 5 Draft?

May 28, 2021; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Texas pitcher Pete Hansen (33) pitches against West Virginia during the Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

On Thursday, Sam Dykstra and Jesse Borek projected 25-year-old left-hander Pete Hansen as the Cardinals' most likely candidate to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft, due to his pitchability and proximity to the big leagues.

"The 2022 third-rounder out of Texas has certainly delivered results in his three full seasons with the Cards, most recently finishing with a 3.93 ERA, 123 strikeouts and 37 walks in 137 1/3 innings at Double-A Springfield in ‘25," wrote Dykstra and Borek.

"Considering his fastball only scrapes 92 mph, it’s all about the command and secondary stuff here, particularly an 80-82 mph slider that gets heavy chase and an 81-84 mph changeup that holds off righties."

Hansen might not project to be one of the Cardinals' next few options to get a crack at the rotation, and in fact, MLB Pipeline does not have him ranked in its current Top 30 list of St. Louis farmhands. But could some other team view him as a viable innings-eater this season?

If there's a good sign for the Cardinals, it's that teams seem to be valuing stuff above all else these days, so the fact that Hansen struck out less than a batter an inning at Double-A doesn't scream upside.

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