The St. Louis Cardinals are planning to rebuild their roster starting this offseason, marking John Mozeliak’s final year as president of baseball operations. It’s anticipated that St. Louis will trade veteran players like Ryan Helsley and Sonny Gray while focusing on strengthening their farm system. However, Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants suggests a different approach, predicting the Cardinals may aim to acquire young stars from other teams instead of solely trading for prospects. Jacobs recently proposed a deal to bring Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. to St. Louis in exchange for two players: 1B Alec Burleson and RHP Gordon Graceffo.
Jacobs highlighted center field as an area where the Cardinals could greatly benefit from an upgrade, especially with a right-handed bat like Robert’s. He stated, “Robert could be worth the risk for the club, but it will cost them something to make it happen. I wonder if that package could look like Alec Burleson and Gordon Graceffo.” This would give the White Sox a young, controllable bat in Burleson to support their rebuild.
Previously, Chicago demanded a return similar to what Juan Soto commanded for trading Robert, suggesting they won’t part with him easily. While Graceffo and Burleson are promising, their value is considered too low for Robert, who remains under club control through 2027. For St. Louis to have a realistic chance of acquiring Robert, the trade would likely need to include top prospects like SS JJ Wetherholt (MLB’s No. 18 prospect), RHP Tink Hence (No. 61), or LHP Quinn Mathews (No. 77), alongside Burleson and Graceffo.
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