The St. Louis Cardinals are poised to begin a roster rebuild this offseason, coinciding with John Mozeliak’s final year as president of baseball operations. The team is expected to trade veterans like Ryan Helsley and Sonny Gray as they focus on developing their farm system.
However, Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants suggests that the Cardinals may approach their rebuild differently. Rather than simply trading major league players for prospects, Jacobs believes St. Louis could target young stars from other teams. He highlights center field as a position that needs significant improvement, particularly with the addition of a right-handed bat.
Jacobs speculates that the Cardinals could pursue a trade for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, possibly offering players like Alec Burleson and Gordon Graceffo in return. Jacobs notes that Chicago, which is in the midst of a long rebuild, could be interested in Burleson, a young hitter with a lot of team control, as part of their future core.
Last season, the White Sox sought a “Juan Soto-like” return for Robert, which no team was willing to meet. This suggests that Chicago won’t part with Robert cheaply. The proposed trade involving Burleson and Graceffo, while intriguing, would likely be seen by the White Sox as insufficient, especially given Robert’s team control through 2027.
For St. Louis to realistically acquire a player of Robert’s caliber, Jacobs believes they would need to offer top-tier prospects like shortstop JJ Wetherholt (ranked No. 18 overall by MLB Pipeline), right-hander Tink Hence (No. 61), or left-hander Quinn Mathews (No. 77), along with players such as Burleson and Graceffo to make a competitive offer.
