Acknowledging that the team could not contend, the St. Louis Cardinals traded away all of their veteran relief pitchers who were on expiring contracts at the trade deadline, opting to get a collection of high-upside, high-risk prospects.
The moves, which saw closers Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton, along with left-hander Steven Matz, depart, have improved the Cardinals' minor-league system. The team's Top 30 prospect list, according to MLB.com, is notably stronger with three players who cracked the rankings.
John Mozeliak told MLB.com that they made the decisions with a “longer view in terms of, ‘Are there decisions that we can make that would better situate the franchise in [2026] and beyond?