Cardinals Projected to Acquire Former Rays' Top Pitching Prospect
With the MLB trade deadline now just three weeks away, it's still anybody's guess as to how the Cardinals will attack this year's deadline. St. Louis is only a game and a half out of the final NL Wild Card spot, and first place in the NL Central is still within reach.
Advertisement
With the team's recent struggles, however, especially in the starting pitching category, the front office doesn't appear to have decided whether the Cardinals will be buyers or sellers come July 31.
If the Cardinals want to be contenders in the second half and make a push for their first playoff appearance since 2022, though, it's pretty clear which problem needs to be addressed first.
MLB insider Jeff Passan released an article this morning in which he listed a perfect trade deadline addition for every MLB contender. After naming starting pitching as the Cardinals' biggest weakness, Passan named Rays' former No. 1 overall prospect Taj Bradley as the best match.
"The Rays don't have a strong desire to move the 24-year-old Bradley, but with Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, and Joe Boyle all pitching well, and ace Shane McClanahan out on a rehabilitation assignment, Tampa Bay is at least entertaining the idea," Passan wrote.
Advertisement
Rays starting pitcher Taj BradleyDaniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
"Bradley's stuff has exceeded his performance over his three major league seasons, but the controllable-starting-pitching market is practically empty, and St. Louis' farm system is replete with high-end catchers, which would fill a vacuum for the Rays."
As Passan mentioned, St. Louis has an abundance of catchers that could be of interest to Tampa Bay. When they're all healthy, the Cardinals have been carrying three catchers on their MLB roster in Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, and Yohel Pozo. They also have top catching prospects Leonardo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks who will likely be MLB-ready within the next year, in addition to 18-year-old Rainiel Rodriguez.
As for Taj Bradley, he's been one of the unluckier starting pitchers in baseball this year, but has still shown electric stuff at times. Bradley has posted a 4.79 ERA in 97 2/3 innings pitched this year, but his expected ERA is down at 3.65.
Advertisement
Not only would Bradley provide a boost to the Cardinals this year, he could play a key role in the rotation for years to come, given he's not set to become a free agent until 2030.
The Rays may very well have no interest in moving Bradley, but given their current starting pitching depth and the intriguing package the Cardinals could put together, Bradley to St. Louis would make a lot of sense.
Related: Cardinals' No. 1 Prospect Receives Highly Anticipated Promotion
Related: Cardinals No. 1 Prospect JJ Wetherholt Makes Instant Impact in Triple-A Debut
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
a minute ago
- Fox Sports
Will Benson homers as Reds even series against Braves with a 3-2 win
Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Will Benson hit his ninth multi-run homer of the year to power the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Left-handed batters were hitting .292 against the lefty Dylan Dodd coming into the game. With two outs in the seventh, manager Terry Francona elected to let Benson face him and Benson sent it 356 feet to left field. Matt McLain singled to score Benson to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning. Benson singled and stole second to set up the run. Brady Singer (9-8) struck out a season-high 10 batters in six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and a walk. It was his first career win over the Braves in four decisions. Bryce Elder (4-8) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks. Scott Barlow pitched a scoreless seventh. Tony Santillan appeared in his major league leading 55th appearance in a scoreless eighth. The Braves scored both their runs in the ninth. Ozzie Albies singled a run home and Luke Williams hit a sacrifice fly. Emilio Pagan got his 23rd save in 26 chances. The Braves' Austin Riley struck out four times, leaving three runners on base. Key moment Singer pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning. Key stat Benson has two hits, both home runs against left handed pitchers in 17 at bats. Up next Chase Burns (0-3, 6.26) will face Spencer Strider (5-8, 3.71) in the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee in the MLB Speedway Classic. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 2
Fox News
a minute ago
- Fox News
Yankees release Marcus Stroman to make room for trade deadline acquisitions
The New York Yankees released starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on Friday. Stroman, 34, was released to make room for the pitchers the team acquired at the trade deadline. The Yankees acquired two-time All-Star David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, All-Star Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants and Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies. Bednar, 30, had a 2.37 ERA with 17 saves in 38 innings for the Pirates. Doval, 28, has a 3.09 ERA with 15 saves in 46.2 innings. Bird, 26, has a 4.73 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched. Following the Yankees' 7-4 win yesterday, they optioned relief pitchers Yerry De Los Santos and Ian Hamilton to the minor leagues to create two roster spots. Stroman's release opens up the requisite third roster spot needed to add all the incoming pitchers to the roster. Stroman pitched in the Yankees' win on Thursday over the Tampa Bay Rays, and was credited with the win as he pitched five innings and gave up four runs. On the season, Stroman only made nine starts due to injury. The two-time All-Star had a 3-2 record in those starts and had a 6.23 ERA in 39 innings pitched. The Yankees signed Stroman to a two-year contract prior to the 2024 season. If Stroman pitched 140 innings in 2025, he would have had an $18 million player option for 2026. Stroman appeared in 39 games with the Yankees across two seasons and had a 4.69 ERA and a 13-11 record. The Yankees could have optioned young starting pitcher Cam Schlittler to make room for the new bullpen arms, but the team instead decided to release Stroman. Schlittler, 24, has impressed in his three starts as his fastball sits in the upper 90's, occasionally touching 100 MPH. He has a 1-1 record, a 4.91 ERA, and 15 strikeouts in 14.2 innings so far this season. The Yankees' current starting rotation consists of Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil (who will make his season debut on Sunday after missing the start to the season with injury), Will Warren, and Schlittler. The Yankees (60-49) next game is against the Miami Marlins (52-55) is on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Cubs chairman says team's performance convinced him extending Hoyer's contract was right thing to do
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts came into the season thinking about extending president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer's contract. The team's performance convinced him it was the right thing to do. 'We went into the season thinking about an extension,' Ricketts said Friday. 'I think the team was playing well enough that Jed had really proven he put a good ballclub on the field. I've always been comfortable with Jed. He makes good baseball decisions, and he's really built a good organization.' The Cubs agreed to a multiyear extension with the 51-year-old Hoyer on Monday. His contract was set to expire at the end of this season, his 14th with the Cubs. Hoyer was hired as general manager in 2011 and replaced Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations following the 2020 season. Led by breakout All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago was second in the NL Central and a game behind Milwaukee at 63-45 entering Friday's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles. It lost two of three at Milwaukee this week. The Cubs added depth to their lineup and pitching staff before the trade deadline. They acquired utility player Willi Castro from the rebuilding Minnesota Twins and veteran left-hander Taylor Rogers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They also got right-handers Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals and Andrew Kittredge from Baltimore. 'I think the way he's methodically gone about developing the right players and bringing them up, looking for the right guys to add, being thoughtful about who he signs,' Ricketts said. 'I think all those things have added up. He's had a good first four years. And then of course going into this season, when we got off to a great start, that just spoke to his decision-making and his judgment, and so we were confident a few weeks ago that an extension was the right thing to do.' ___ AP MLB:
