Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch
Online sports
Cardinals starting pitcher Tekoah Roby throws during the third inning of a spring training game against the Astros on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
A quick inventory check of the Cardinals organization ahead of the trade deadline reveals obvious shortages.
This operation needs, in order of urgency: pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, right-handed hitting, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching and pitching.
The Cardinals acted accordingly at the draft, adding power arms with big upside plus a few intriguing projects. Assistant general manager Randy Flores and his staff earned high marks from independent analysts.
Yet the arms supply remains depleted, so president of baseball operations John Mozeliak must target more starting pitching if he sells off relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz to contenders.
Currently, the organization has zero prospects at Triple-A Memphis or Double-A Springfield (Missouri) who could bolster the major league rotation.
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Left-hander Quinn Mathews was next in line, but his mechanical breakdown and resulting shoulder soreness derailed him. When he returned to active duty, he still lacked the command that allowed him to soar last season.
In 2024, Mathews had 202 strikeouts and 49 walks in 143 1/3 innings over four minor league levels. This season, he has 62 strikeouts and 48 walks in 52 1/3 innings over three levels.
Mathews is 2-6 with 4.85 ERA in 17 overall starts at Memphis the past two years, so the Cardinals must get him back on track ASAP.
Beyond Mathews, there are ... a bunch of guys on the injured list.
Left-hander Drew Rom, acquired in the 2023 selloff, was supposed to offer depth. But after missing last season with various arm and shoulder issues, he made just seven minor league starts this season before shutting down again.
Fellow lefty Zack Thompson faced a make-or-break scenario this season 鈥 and he broke, suffering a severe left lat strain. Top pitching prospects Tink Hence, Tekoah Roby, Cooper Hjerpe and Sem Robberse are all on the shelf as well.
Hence鈥檚 case is most vexing. After pitching 96 innings in 2023, his second full pro season, he worked 79 2/3 innings last year and just 21 1/3 innings so far this year between injuries.
He has flashed swing-and-miss stuff with a nasty slider and excellent command. But Hence has had to shut down repeatedly since the Cardinals drafted him in 2020, so maybe his body just isn鈥檛 cut out for pitching.
Hjerpe could have become a candidate for the big leagues this season, but then he needed Tommy John surgery. Roby flashed promise while going 7-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 16 combined starts for Springfield and Memphis, then he landed back on the IL again after just 78 1/3 innings pitched.
Roby worked just 38 1/3 innings last year due to injuries and just 58 1/3 innings the year before that. Durable he is not.
Robberse, another addition via the 鈥23 selloff, might have been at least a depth starter this season. He lasted just four outings before needing Tommy John surgery.
Ideally, the Cardinals would operate with 10-man starting pitching safety net, with a sturdy Triple-A rotation of depth starters and near-term prospects backed by a Double-A rotation of longer-term prospects.
No such protection exists. The Cardinals must be careful with top 2025 pick Liam Doyle coming off his college season, but he might be their next most viable starter.
Doyle鈥檚 Tennessee teammate, No. 72 overall draft pick Tanner Franklin, could rise quickly as a reliever with his power arm. But can he develop the secondary stuff needed to join the rotation some day?
We鈥檒l see. Meanwhile, it鈥檚 up to Mozeliak to add at least a couple more near-term starting pitching prospects before his term ends.
Mozeliak will hand successor Chaim Bloom plenty of good young position players to build around, but the team is overloaded from the left side with Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman.
Top infield prospect JJ Wetherholt hits from the left side. So does catching prospect Jimmy Crooks. So does outfielder Nathan Church, who is raking at Memphis this summer after raking at Springfield in the spring. So does outfielder Chase Davis, who was the team鈥檚 top pick in 2023. So do key 2025 draft picks Jack Gurevitch and Ryan Mitchell, who already rank among the team鈥檚 top 20 prospects.
Other teams note this redundancy, which explains the trade buzz around Donovan. Dealing away such a reliable hitter in his athletic prime is a really bad idea, but something must give.
This team needs more weapons against left-handed pitchers.
Jordan Walker is showing signs of breaking out of a two-year downturn. If Ivan Herrera can play in the outfield, that could help balance the attack. Infielder Thomas Saggese also adds depth from the right side.
Switch-hitting Double-A catcher Leonardo Bernal punishes lefties, so maybe he could help next season. Over the longer haul, Springfield outfielder Joshua Baez and Palm Beach third baseman/catcher Raniel Rodriguez will bring power potential if they can adapt to higher competitive levels.
So there still are many blanks to fill. That鈥檚 the theme across the organization as the trade deadline nears.
In today鈥檚 10 AM 鈥淭en Hochman鈥 video, Ben Hochman discusses the Cardinals鈥 Steven Matz, who is pitching well of late. Plus, a happy birthday shoutout to Geddy Lee! And as always, Hochman picks a random Cards card out of the hat!
