The St. Louis Cardinals made a barrage of moves ahead of Nov. 18's rostering deadline, protecting four top prospects from Rule 5 draft eligibility while designating reliever Jorge Alcala for assignment.
Among those protected were starting pitchers Brycen Mautz and Cooper Hjerpe, as well as catcher Leonardo Bernal and outfielder Joshua Baez. The latter was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the return for closer Ryan Helsley, and Baez looks like he could challenge Jordan Walker for the starting right field job in the majors sooner rather than later.
However, one trade deadline acquisition who wasn't protected was Blaze Jordan, the power-hitting infielder the Cardinals got in return for Steven Matz.