John Mozeliak explained his reasoning behind the Cardinals’ moves at the deadline
The trade deadline has come and gone for the St. Louis Cardinals. Hovering around .500 on the season, the team made several moves to gear up towards the future.
The Cardinals dealt off closer Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton at the deadline. Per Katie Woo of The Athletic, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak’s intention at the deadline was to sell, and prepare for what’s ahead.
“The goal of this trading deadline was about the future, Mozeliak said, per Woo. “I don’t think it’s necessarily about the immediate future. It’s about the long-term view of the St. Louis Cardinals.”
According to Woo, the Cardinals’ haul in return for the trades includes a wealth of minor league prospects. SS Jesus Baez, RHP Frank Elissalt and RHP Nate Dohm came in return for the trade that sent Helsley to the New York Mets, RHP Mason Molina and LHP Skylar Hales came from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Phil Maton, and Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan was the return for Steven Matz.
“We went into this deadline trying to move our expiring contracts,” Mozeliak said, per Woo. “We were able to do that. The goal of these moves was to position the organization for future talent, not necessarily just guys that are knocking on the door for big-league opportunities next year. It was really about trying to create as much prospect value as possible, and we felt we achieved that.”
After evidently kicking the bucket on this current season, the hope for St. Louis is that their return packages can make an impact for the future.
Category: Baseball
