With just over a week remaining until spring training, the St. Louis Cardinals traded away their most valuable remaining roster piece on Monday by sending All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners in a three-team deal involving the Tampa Bay Rays.

By dealing Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Donovan this offseason, the Cardinals have completely re-worked their major league roster and re-stashed their minor league farm system.

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And they may not be done as outfielder Lars Nootbaar and reliever JoJo Romero are also trade possibilities, either now or at the trade deadline.

Seeing how all the prospects acquired develop will be among the biggest storylines for the organization this season, as it will have a major bearing on the future direction of the franchise.

But there will be another thing that has a huge impact on the Cardinals future this season: The MLB Draft.

Set to take place during All-Star week in July, the Cardinals now have six of the Top 100 picks, as noted by Overslot Baseball. That is the most of any team in baseball and has the opportunity to further spearhead the team’s rebuild.

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The opportunity to get six top prospects is obviously one thing, but the slot money that comes with those picks will also be robust, giving the Cardinals the opportunity to sign high-end high school talent that won’t be signable for other teams.

Chaim Bloom, who just took over as Cardinals front office leader, has had success in drafting, both in his time as a front office person with the Tampa Bay Rays and during his tenure as the Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox (2020-23).

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With the Red Sox, he drafted Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, all of who are expected to be big parts of Boston’s roster this season. Anthony and Campbell have already been given long-term contracts and Anthony looks like one of the top young hitters in the sport.

The Cardinals will report to spring training with pitchers and catchers on Feb. 10. Opening Day is set for March 26 when the Cardinals take on the Rays in St. Louis.

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