Cardinals actually make disappointing Tommy Pham move worthwhile

The St. Louis Cardinals electing to designate veteran outfield Tommy Pham for assignment about a month after they acquired him at the trade deadline is obviously tough for fans to swallow. After all, it's essentially this organization waving the white flag on the 2024 season, which is the last thing fans were wanting to see after buying at the deadline and, more crucially, coming off of one of the worst seasons in franchise history a year ago.

It's not at all what the Cardinals or their fanbase were hoping for from this veteran-laden roster and moving on from Pham feels fully indicative of exactly that. However, that move in particular might offer some solace for fans and better news for the future with St. Louis.

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals recalled former top prospect Jordan Walker from Triple-A as the corresponding move with Pham being DFA'd. However, this won't be another case of completely misusing Walker, which we saw when he was on the big-league roster earlier in August. Instead, Walker will be an everyday player for the Redbirds down the stretch.

This is absolutely massive in more than one way for the Cardinals, all of them hopefully good.

Cardinals moving on from Tommy Pham gives Jordan Walker much-needed opportunity

When Walker was up in early August, Oli Marmol was electing to platoon the right-handed hitter and only insert him into the lineup against lefties. That, in itself, didn't make a ton of sense with the outfielder posting reverse RHP/LHP splits in Triple-A Memphis this season and even in the majors as well.

Subsequently, having him as an everyday player will get him the reps he needs to continue his development into a big-league hitter. Moreover, he and the Cards might actually enjoy more success from that down the stretch given that he's been more effective against right-handers this season to this point.

Zooming out further, though, the development and future of Walker is massively important for what the Cardinals are able to do moving forward. Largely, this is a veteran-led roster. Paul Goldschmidt is a free agent this offseason, Nolan Arenado has regressed and there is likely upheaval coming for much of the roster. This final run of the 2024 season could largely be about finding some future cornerstones this organization can build upon. Walker could well be one of them.

Now, to be sure, St. Louis will have much more to do than just giving Walker more opportunities to right the ship moving forward. The pitching staff needs reinforcements, wherever they may come from, while Walker needs other young pieces to step up alongside him. But on the whole, Marmol finally giving Walker the chances he's earned and that this team needs him to get is a silver lining for another disappointing Cardinals season.