The St. Louis Cardinals have certainly had an up-and-down year in 2024. Buried in last place early on, it looked like they would be selling off many of their veteran players to build for the future. A future that included top prospects like shortstop Masyn Winn and slugging outfielder Jordan Walker.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the cellar. The Cards and manager Oliver Marmol have pulled it together and looked like a completely different team. They have crawled back into the MLB playoff race and may be looking to trade some younger talent for proven stars.
While Winn is entrenched at the big league level as the Redbirds’ starting shortstop, Walker hasn’t been nearly as consistent. And now, it looks as if the Cards might include him in a deal as the trade deadline gets closer.
This is a far cry from just a few months ago when it was expected Jordan would have a breakout sophomore season in the Majors. The 21-year-old Walker went directly to the majors without playing at the Triple-A level.
In his rookie campaign, he posted a .276 batting average, with 16 home runs and 51 RBI, appearing in 117 games. However, he slumped at times and was demoted to Memphis for over a month of the season. He was a streaky hitter – hotter than July one minute and as cold as December the next.
Jordan Walker’s 2024 results have been similar. He shows flashes of brilliance but also stark inconsistency at the plate. That’s why St. Louis may be growing impatient with the powerful prodigy—but they shouldn’t.
The Cardinals Have Been Burned Before
As trade winds start to gust, expect to hear Jordan Walker's name floated by pundits — and maybe even a few interested teams.@Ben_Fred on whether #Cardinals should listen to offers for their top hitting prospect this month:
https://t.co/MZl2EgPb76 #stlcards— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 7, 2024
As one of the jewels of the organization, it would take a lot for Team President John Mozieliak to hand over Jordan Walker. Not too long ago, he was considered a cornerstone of the Cardinals‘ future and still could be. So, there’s a huge risk in trading him now – he’s still young and has plenty of time to mature as a bona fide Major League player.
On top of that, the ‘Birds have been burned by transactions like this before. Badly burned.
Over the past several years, the team has parted ways with a handful of outfielders who blossomed after leaving the organization. Names like Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia have left Mozeliak with egg on his face. Former prospect Lane Thomas had 28 home runs and 86 RBI for the Washington Nationals in 2023. This season, the Cardinals’ latest castoff –Tyler O’Neill -has been on a Fenway frenzy, with 16 HR for the Boston Red Sox.
While there’s no guarantee that a Walker trade would come back to haunt them later, this team can’t afford to make any more bad trades. They relied heavily on the free agent market for pitching, signing three new starting pitchers. But, it was expected the youth movement would take a huge step forward. Walker was to be the powerhouse who led those Baby ‘Birds into the next generation. He still could be if given a little more time.
Jordan Walker Still Has a Huge Upside
There is no world where trading Jordan Walker doesn’t come back to haunt the #STLCards
— STL Sports Central (@stlsportscntrl) July 7, 2024
As one of the most coveted young players in the game, there’s no doubt that the Cardinals could get a lot by including Jordan Walker in a deal. But essentially, they would exchange his massive potential for a rent-a-player who might help them make some noise in the playoffs.
But there isn’t really anyone out there who would put this extremely average team at the level of a World Series champion. Even a blockbuster deal wouldn’t put them in a position to beat the Dodgers or Phillies. If the Cardinals make the playoffs, it’s been a successful season and a happy turnaround from 2023, when they finished in last place with a 71-91 record. But there’s no reason to sacrifice a developing diamond for a quick playoff exit this season.
It would better suit the club to wait things out regarding Walker.
Because the odds are he would come back to bite them in the end.
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Ryan K Boman is the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays about Embracing Life with Laughter & Love. His previous work has appeared at The Miami Herald, SB Nation, Bounding into Sports, and Yardbarker. Follow him on social media @RyanKBoman.
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