Cardinals top prospect gives John Mozeliak reason to get moving on the trade market

The St. Louis Cardinals had as disappointing of an offseason as any MLB team. John Mozeliak refusing to add MLB talent isn't a shock considering the organization's plan to retool, but the Cardinals didn't really make any strides on that front either. Sure, they let their free agents like Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Kittredge, and Kyle Gibson walk, but they did not make a single trade involving any of their veterans.

Nolan Arenado was involved in trade rumors all winter, and yet, even while it isn't completely the organization's fault, he's still with the Cardinals. Guys like Erick Fedde, Steven Matz, and Ryan Helsley are also still with the team, even though they're in the final year of their contracts.

It's safe to say that after the organization's top pitching prospect, Quinn Mathews, pitched as well as he did in his spring training debut, Mozeliak ought to work a little harder to make a trade involving a starting pitcher.

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Quinn Mathews dazzling spring training debut should force John Mozeliak's hand

Say what you want about this being spring training and the games not having any meaning, but Mathews faced a Toronto Blue Jays lineup that had several regulars, including their two best hitters, and he opened some eyes.

Most impressively, Mathews wound up using his patented change-up to strike out Vladimir Guerrero Jr., an AL MVP candidate, to complete a perfect first inning. He got Bo Bichette to fly out two batters prior.

Overall, the southpaw delivered two scoreless innings and struck out three batters. It's easy to say not to overreact to spring training performances good or bad, but how can anyone not like what they saw from Mathews? He navigated his way through a Blue Jays lineup featuring several established MLB hitters. He was impressive.

He won't begin the year on the team's Opening Day roster regardless of whether a trade is made or not, especially since he only made four starts at the Triple-A level last season and didn't pitch great in those appearances, but this kind of performance shows that he isn't far off from being MLB-ready. Mathews has the stuff to dominate, and with a little more seasoning.

The Cardinals have made it clear that winning this season is not as important as giving playing time to younger players. Given that, trading veterans like Fedde, Matz, or even Miles Mikolas sooner rather than later to open a spot in the rotation for Mathews should be something Mozeliak strongly considers doing.