Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Former Top Prospect Tabbed Trade Candidate

Will the Cardinals entertain the idea of trading Jordan Walker this season?
Zach Pressnell|
May 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) takes batting practice prior to the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
May 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) takes batting practice prior to the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker has some of the highest potential in all of baseball. If he puts the pieces together, he could slug 30 or 40 home runs with some solid speed and solid defense in the outfield.

He's struggled to get going over the last few years in the big leagues, but the potential star is still just 22 years old. The team must remain patient with him in order to reap the benefits of the star prospects.

Russ Eddins of Just Baseball recently suggested the Cardinals could consider trading Walker rather than letting him figure out his struggles with the team that drafted him.

"The Cardinals could also consider trading Walker, along with a couple of prospects, for a new outfielder," Eddins wrote. "Many players that the Cardinals have traded or let walk in free agency have performed better after leaving St. Louis. 

"Paul Goldschmidt is the most recent example. The Cardinals chose not to re-sign him last offseason, and he is having a great year for the Yankees. Walker could be traded this season, but the more likely scenario is that he finishes the year with St. Louis and then gets traded in the offseason."

Giving up on Walker at his lowest value wouldn't make much sense for the Cardinals. It's hard to imagine his value will get any lower than it is right now no matter how poor he plays.

Instead, the Cardinals could continue to bet on their former first round pick in hopes that he begins tapping into his unparalleled potential at the big-league level. At this point in time, the Cardinals would be much better off riding it out with the young prospect.

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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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