The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to revamp their roster starting this offseason, with John Mozeliak entering his final year as president of baseball operations. The expectation is that the Cardinals will look to trade veterans like Ryan Helsley and Sonny Gray in order to focus on building through their farm system.
However, Josh Jacobs of *Redbird Rants* believes the Cardinals may approach their rebuild differently. Instead of just trading established big leaguers for prospects, Jacobs suggests St. Louis could make a push for young stars from around the league.
In a recent trade proposal, Jacobs suggested a deal that would send Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who is under contract for $50 million, to the Cardinals in exchange for two players.
Jacobs’ proposed trade would look like this:
– St. Louis Cardinals receive: OF Luis Robert Jr.
– Chicago White Sox receive: 1B Alec Burleson, RHP Gordon Graceffo
“Center field is clearly an area the Cardinals could stand to improve, particularly with a right-handed bat,” Jacobs wrote. “Robert might be worth the risk for St. Louis, but acquiring him would come at a cost. I think a package including Alec Burleson and Gordon Graceffo could be enticing for the White Sox. They could swap Robert for a young hitter with years of team control, and Burleson could be a part of their next contending core.”
Last season, the White Sox were seeking a “Juan Soto-level” return for Robert but found no takers, suggesting they won’t part with him cheaply. The proposed deal of Burleson and Graceffo, however, would likely be laughed off by Chicago. Robert’s value far exceeds that of these two players, particularly given that he has club options through 2027.
While this trade would be a dream scenario for the Cardinals, it is highly unrealistic. The White Sox will likely demand a much higher return for a player of Robert’s caliber.
For St. Louis to realistically acquire a young star like Robert, they would likely need to include top prospects such as shortstop JJ Wetherholt (ranked No. 18 overall by MLB Pipeline), right-hander Tink Hence (No. 61), or left-hander Quinn Mathews (No. 77) in the deal. Burleson and Graceffo could then be added to sweeten the package.