The St. Louis Cardinals have seemingly entered a rebuild this season. This idea began at the beginning of the offseason when the Cardinals opted to let veteran pitchers like Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn walk in free agency.
When the Cardinals followed these decisions up by shopping third baseman Nolan Arenado and letting Paul Goldschmidt leave in free agency, the fanbase began to realize the team was committed to a rebuild.
But they haven't made any meaningful trades to this point. Arenado, Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Ryan Helsley are still on the roster. While trading these players will net a solid prospect return for the Cardinals, it will also clear a spot for prospects to come to the big leagues and earn meaningful innings.
Right now, the Cardinals don't have a spot in the lineup for one of their best prospects because Arenado is the everyday third baseman. Once the Cardinals can move him, they'll free up a spot for infielder Thomas Saggese to see everyday innings.
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It's time the Cardinals leave Thomas Saggese in the big leagues for good
Saggese needs to be in the big leagues and he's done nothing but prove his talent whenever given the opportunity. The Cardinals brought him up earlier this season and he excelled in his role. The 23-year-old slashed .341/.364/.512 with a home run and four doubles in 14 big league games before being sent back to Triple-A. Obviously, he's not going to continue at this pace for his entire career, but he was way too hot for the Cardinals to option him to the minor leagues.
St. Louis needs to elevate him back to the big league roster before June 1. Saggese isn't going to be a Platinum Glove winner, but he has the defensive versatility to move all around the field or slot into the designated hitter role for the Cardinals.
Part of a rebuild is trusting in the prospects and giving them a shot at the highest level. While the Cardinals are doing a solid job of developing some young talent, they still have a lot of veterans blocking the younger guys from shining at the highest level. They need to do something to clear a spot for Saggese going forward.