The St. Louis Cardinals want to rebuild their roster this summer, beginning with John Mozeliak’s final year as president of baseball operations. The idea is that St. Louis will deal veterans like Ryan Helsley and Sonny Gray to build via their farm system.
However, Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants believes that St. Louis may rebuild in a different method. Instead of simply trading big leaguers for prospects, Jacobs expects the Cardinals to invest in emerging talents around the league. Jacobs recently proposed a trade in which the Chicago White Sox would transfer $50 million outfielder Luis Robert Jr. to the Cardinals in exchange for two players.
Here’s the deal Jacobs offered: The St. Louis Cardinals receive: OF Luis Robert Jr. Chicago White Sox receives: 1B. Alec Burleson, RHP. Gordon Graceffo
“Center field is easily the position where the Cardinals might benefit the most from an upgrade, particularly with a right-handed bat. Robert may be worth the risk for the club, but it will come at a cost,” Jacobs said. “I wonder whether that bundle could resemble Alec Burleson and Gordon Graceffo. As they begin their long reconstruction, the White Sox may replace Robert with a young bat with a lot of team control, and Burleson might be a part of their next competing core.”
Last season, Chicago was looking for a “Juan Soto-esque” talent to trade Robert for. Nobody bit on the outrageous asking price, but this shows Chicago will not give him away for free. The pitching return of Graceffo and Burleson is the type of proposition that would make the White Sox laugh and hang up the phone. Robert is far more important than these two players, particularly given that he has club options until 2027.
This trade would be ideal for the Cardinals, but it’s far too ridiculous to even consider. The White Sox will trade Robert for significantly more than was proposed here.
For St. Louis to have a realistic chance of acquiring a budding superstar of Robert’s caliber, top prospects such as shortstop JJ Wetherholt (No. 18 overall MLB prospect according to MLB Pipeline), right-hander Tink Hence (No. 61), or left-hander Quinn Mathews (No. 77) would most likely have to headline the transaction, with Burleson and Graceffo attached to the package.
