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via Imago

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At some point, the baseball gods have to look down at St. Louis and say, “Alright, that’s enough.” But until then, the Cardinals are left piecing together a rotation with duct tape and broken dreams. Just when they thought their pitching pipeline was turning a corner, reality reminded them it’s still under construction—with a few detours and a whole lot of caution tape.

This season could not get any worse for the Cardinals. As if their pitching wasn’t already bad enough in the majors, they can’t even support their major league team with the pitching because their prospects in the minors are not having any good days.

It was reported by Katie Woo of The Athletic that the Cardinals’ top prospect, Tekoah Roby, is out injured. She wrote, “#STLCards pitching prospect Tekoah Roby underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday and will likely not pitch until 2027, multiple sources tell The Athletic.”

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Roby was just starting to look like the real deal before everything fell apart again. The 23-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery, ruling him out until likely the 2027 season. After climbing to Triple-A and posting a 2.49 ERA in Double-A, his rise was gaining momentum. But now, one of the Cardinals’ most promising arms is reduced to a recovery timeline, not a rotation slot.

This isn’t Roby’s first run-in with elbow trouble—just the most definitive and devastating of the setbacks. Acquired from the Texas Rangers in 2023 in the Jordan Montgomery–Chris Stratton deal, he came with upside and risk. Since joining the Cardinals, he’s managed just 110 innings due to recurring injuries and IL stints. The talent was always there; durability, unfortunately, didn’t arrive in the same package.

Ironically, Roby was thriving under the Cardinals’ revamped development system, thanks to a reworked pitch mix and sharper slider. A new two-seamer cut hard contact, and his kick-change added depth to an already nasty arsenal. He looked close to major-league ready—until he wasn’t—and now the club’s rotation pipeline suffers another blow. With top arms dropping like flies, the Cardinals’ pitching problem has gone from concerning to downright existential.

So when it rains in St. Louis, it doesn’t just pour—it throws a complete game shutout against hope. The Cardinals’ pitching crisis isn’t just a rough patch; it’s an organizational indictment dressed in red and saddled with an ERA north of reasonable. Losing Roby isn’t just bad timing—it’s a flashing neon sign that says “Help Not Coming.” At this rate, the only thing deeper than the rotation issues is the denial.

What’s your perspective on:

Is the Cardinals' pitching crisis a sign of poor management or just plain bad luck?

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Amid injuries, the Cardinals cannot trade away these players

The Cardinals aren’t just running out of pitchers—they’re running out of excuses. At some point, when your top prospects keep falling like dominoes in a wind tunnel, maybe it’s time to stop dangling the rest as trade bait. With Roby now shelved until 2027, the margin for error isn’t thin—it’s theoretical. And yet, some names in the system must remain untouchable, no matter how desperate the market gets.

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As the trade deadline looms, the Cardinals face a familiar fork—but this time, clarity is crucial. They can—and should—deal players like Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz for controllable talent. Even expensive veterans with limited team control can be moved, barring no-trade clauses like Nolan Arenado’s or Sonny Gray’s. The mission is clear: shed short-term weight and collect long-term assets that fit the new competitive window.

But not all pieces should be on the block—some are the foundation, not bargaining chips. Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, and Nolan Gorman embody everything the Cardinals say they’re chasing: youth, upside, and years of control. Trading them would be like pawning your compass before hiking a mountain—it makes no sense. Each offers elite tools that are hard to find and even harder to replace affordably.

Walker brings the thunder, Winn locks down shortstop, and Gorman adds left-handed power few possess. They’re not just prospects anymore—they’re production with projection, and that’s priceless in today’s MLB. Trading them for anything short of a superstar would be an unforced error of franchise proportions. Rebuild or retool, you don’t trade the core—you build around it.

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So if the Cardinals are bleeding arms and clinging to hope, they better start clinging smarter. Shipping out veterans makes sense—but shipping out your future is front-office malpractice. You don’t fix a leaky roof by selling the foundation and calling it a blueprint. Walker, Winn, and Gorman aren’t trade chips—they’re the receipt that says you still know how to develop talent. Keep them, or start handing out maps to nowhere.

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Is the Cardinals' pitching crisis a sign of poor management or just plain bad luck?

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