Cardinals: 5 MLB trade deadline mistakes John Mozeliak will regret

3. Still have three Major League catchers

The Cardinals still have a trio of MLB catchers in Willson Contreras, Andrew Knizner, and Ivan Herrera. All three have their plus sides. Contreras and Knizner split duties in St. Louis, and with Knizner off the injured list, Herrera remains in Memphis.

Contreras was signed to a five-year, $87.5 million contract to be the team’s catcher. That would be a bad signal to move him. Knizner has been the Cardinals’ top backup. He has excelled more at the plate than in years past. Herrera, once Yadier Molina’s heir apparent, was impressive while with the Cardinals when Knizner was on the injured list.

It would be hard to get rid of either of these three. It is curious whether the Cardinals listened to offers on any of them. Knizner has shown much power at the plate and handles the pitching staff well. It would seem the team could have flipped Knzner to get pitching. It makes one wonder if Knizner might be one of the players who flipped in the offseason to improve the pitching.

The Cardinals may once again have three catchers in St. Louis to have all their assets available at the big league level. Their talents should be used.

2. Not getting a proven starting pitcher

Mozeliak’s goal was to get pitching help for the future. He met that goal. But with all of the assets still available to flip, it would have been nice to see the Cardinals get a proven starting pitcher to help them now.

Matz pitched Sunday, and Mikolas pitched Tuesday. Dakota Hudson has started in previous seasons but had been in AAA Memphis most of this season, and Matthew Libertaore will start on Wednesday or Thursday, with Wainwright going Friday. What happens from there is up in the air.

Mozeliak made significant moves to help for the future, but it would have been nice to have a young, major league-ready starting pitcher to look forward to joining the club. This does provide more to look forward to for next season.

1. No moves with immediate, plus impact for the Cardinals

These trade deadline moves were meant to help the future. And that’s exactly what they did.

King did make his debut with the Cards Tuesday evening as he pitched an inning of relief. He gave up a hit. Not a bad debut.

But it may be a while before we see anyone else. Mozeliak said we may see someone this season, but they will likely make their debuts in 2024.

Rom, now ranked as the Cardinals’ 26th prospect, could debut this season. In 18 games started, Rom is 7-6 with a 5.34 ERA. He’s struck out 100 batters over 86 innings. Allow him to get a little work in Memphis, and we could see him in St. Louis soon.

Kloffenstein is now the 22nd-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system. He is in AAA and has started 17 games this season. He has a 5-5 record with a 3.24 ERA. He pitched 89 innings, striking out 105 batters for AA New Hampshire. Kloffenstein could also spend some time in Memphis before making his debut later this season to get an idea of what can be expected.

Robberse is the No. 6 prospect in the organization now. He is now with AAA Memphis. He played for AA New Hampshire this season, compiling a record of 3-5 with a 4.06 ERA. In 88.2 innings pitched, he’s struck out 86 batters. At 21, Robberse will likely make his debut in 2024.

Roby is now the No. 4 prospect in the organization. He is currently on the injured list and is expected to be evaluated by the Cardinals to assess his path forward. He struggled in his ten starts at AA Frisco. Once he’s healthy, it should be fun to see what to expect

Showalter is the 23rd ranked prospect in the Cardinals system. He is in High A ball and is not expected to debut until 2026.

Svanson’s debut timeframe is not clear, but Saggese and Prieto could debut in 2024.