The St. Louis Cardinals front office is not beholden to any one player, I'll start there. However, if the Cardinals want to make good on their retool – which has been delayed thanks to their surprising ascent into Wild Card contention – then they need to give their young players a chance to contribute at the big-league level.
Jordan Walker, for one, is finally healthy. Walker came back into the fold in early June before suffering another injury. Yet, per the Cardinals outfielder, he feels healthier than ever.
"I didn't have to have surgery. Luckily the antibiotics worked, and the swelling went down, so I started feeling a lot better and I was really lucky," Walker said. "(The doctors) said that once (the appendicitis) went away, it should be gone for good, but you never know for sure ... As of right now, I feel really good ... I'm ready to get going."
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Cardinals risk alienating young players at the trade deadline
But will there be a spot for Walker? The outfield is pretty deep thanks to Brendan Donovan, Victor Scott II, Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar. If the Cardinals don't trade one of their outfielders, there's a good chance Walker won't play on a regular basis. Walker has struggled at the big-league level, but if he doesn't get playing time then the Cardinals risk moving off of him too early. Walker isn't the only player St. Louis may be mismanaging.
Cardinals fans have clamored for a full-time role for Michael McGreevy since spring training. Last season, McGreevy had a 1.96 ERA and an 18-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has a 4.22 ERA in four appearances this season. The Cards' No. 9 prospect has spent time in the minor leagues and has dominated to the tune of a 2.28 ERA in 13 starts. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, St. Louis wants McGreevy in their full-time rotation, they just don't have the roster spots.
"St. Louis wants McGreevy, who has made four appearances (three starts) for St. Louis this year, in its rotation full-time," Woo said. "He has spent the majority of the first half in Triple-A, serving as a depth piece and spot-starting when needed, but Mozeliak agrees that it’s nearing time to see McGreevy as a regular starter. Creating a path will be tricky."
Cardinals front office shouldn't be worried about minor-league success
None of this makes any sense. The Cardinals have a history of mistreating young players, and turning them against the organization at large. Trust is a two-way street, and John Mozeliak hasn't earned it with this generation of players. It sure doesn't help when he sounds more concerned with the rotation McGreevy would leave behind in Triple-A than the player's development.
"Right now, we’re just not confident with what’s behind McGreevy to pull up,” Mozeliak said, referring to the lack of pitching depth available in Triple A. “As we navigate the next three to four weeks, certainly there are going to be opportunities to get Michael up here at some point. Worst-case scenario for him, there is a clear path for him sometime in August...He’s pitched really well. He’s a deserving young man, and hopefully the opportunity is there."
But, why should McGreevy, Walker or your average Cardinals fan care about the depth at Triple-A? Minor-league championships are meaningless, and while it's great that players can learn how to win at the lower levels, it isn't imperative for their development. Ultimately, if Walker and McGreevy are needed at the big-league level – and both would be considered big leaguers on most teams – then the Cardinals should find a way to make it happen.
It's just another reason for Mozeliak and Bloom to end their power struggle and sell off some veterans and expiring contracts at the deadline.