MLB Trade Grades: Cardinals begin exodus, Blue Jays add reliever

MLB Trade Grades are in for the Cardinals and Blue Jays after St. Louis shipped Genesis Cabrera to Toronto in exchange for a catcher prospect.

The MLB trade deadline is barreling towards us and it’s possible the Cardinals just opened the flood gates.

St. Louis has admitted they’re selling at the deadline. There are a bunch of guys they’ll be looking to move on as they try to reshape their disappointing 2023 roster. Genésis Cabrera isn’t the biggest of the names that could move, but he’s got the party started.

On Friday, the Cardinals agreed to trade the recently DFA’d Cabrera to the Blue Jays inexchange for a prospect.

Genesis trade details for Cardinals and Blue Jays

It looks like this one is a simple swap. Genésis Cabrera goes one way. Sammy Hernandez goes the other.

Cabrera is now on his second team after spending the first four and a half seasons of his career in St. Louis.

Hernandez, who recently turned 19, was drafted in 2022 and will now enter a new farm system.

MLB Trade Grades: Blue Jays try to restart Genésis Cabrera

Cabrera was once a promising-looking reliever, posting a an ERA of 2.42 in his second season of limited action, then following through with a respectable enough showing in 2021. However, it’s been downhill since then.

In 32 innings of action this year, Cabrera has a 5.06 ERA and he’s lost considerable effectiveness on his fastball while holding on to the same control issues of the past.

The Blue Jays are betting on him being able to get things back to where they were. And it’s not a bad bet. This is a cheap bet that shouldn’t hurt much if it doesn’t pay off. If it does work out, Toronto’s bullpen will be all the happier for it.

Grade: B

MLB Trade Grades: Cardinals ditch first of many

When they DFA’d Cabrera, the Cardinals admitted that the fit just wasn’t working. They intended to let him start over fresh somewhere new and that’s what they’ve done.

It feels like a win-win. Cabrera had already been DFA’d and no longer factored into the plans for this year or beyond. Getting back a prospect for him could yield positives down the line.

Of course, it would be better if the team could have found a way to coax Cabrera back to his former effectiveness. But with that option beyond them, they did they best they could.

This is just the beginning for St. Louis as the trade deadline nears.

Grade: C