The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly entering a rebuild right now, which means their farm system is as important as ever. They’ve already swung three trades to bolster their farm system in a huge way.
Earlier in the winter, the Cardinals traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox for a haul of prospects. A short while later, they landed more prospects from the Red Sox in exchange for Willson Contreras. Both of these trades pushed the Cardinals in the direction they’re looking to go. Earlier this month, the Cardinals also traded Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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They could look to make even more trades to continue bolstering their farm system. Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar make plenty of sense as trade chips. They could net the Cardinals even more prospect capital.
On Thursday, the Cardinals’ farm system received a huge upgrade in international free agency.
Carlos Carrion is a huge addition for the Cardinals
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Baseball America’s Ben Badler reported that the Cardinals had signed top shortstop prospect Carlos Carrion to a $1.1 million deal in international free agency. Badler called Carrion one of the best athletes in the entire class.
Carrion, 17, is an elite athlete with high upside. He has smooth hands in the infield, which paired with his athleticism should allow him to stick at shortstop for the long run.
He’s a switch hitter who hits better from the left side. He doesn’t have incredible raw power, but as he continues to grow and fill out his frame, the power should progress, too.
Carrion’s best trait is his speed. He has game-breaking speed with the ability to stretch routine singles into doubles. As he progresses over to professional baseball in the coming years, it’s going to be interesting to see how his speed translates.
The Cardinals landed a good prospect with Carrion. He has the potential to be the next international star to come through the minor leagues and into St. Louis.
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