ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals completed two trades on Sunday with the future in mind, moving pending free agent pitchers Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton and Jordan Hicks for a load of prospects.
Montgomery and Stratton have joined the Texas Rangers. Hicks has joined the Toronto Blue Jays. And in return, the Cardinals added five new players.
The haul includes four pitchers and one infielder. Four of the five newcomers are prospects who have yet to make their MLB debuts.
The Cardinals found themselves in an unusual position as sellers with an underwhelming 47-60 record at the end of July. Many buyers are trying to set their teams up for postseason without dealing too much MLB-ready talent. As a result, the Cardinals made trades with the goal to strengthen depth within their farm system.
Here’s a closer look at the five new players the Cardinals acquired on Sunday:
Sem Robberse
Sem Robberse is 21-year-old and a native of the Netherlands, who pitched in the MLB Futures Game earlier this month. The right-handed pitcher is among the leaders in innings pitched (88.2) and WHIP (1.17) at the Double-A level this season.
Robberse compiled a 3-5 record with a 4.06 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 18 starts with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this season. He joined the Blue Jays farm system as an international signing in 2019.
Per MLB Pipeline, Robberse was ranked as Toronto’s seventh-best prospect prior to being traded. He is now ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the Cardinals farm system.
Adam Kloffenstein
Adam Kloffenstein is a 22-year-old southpaw and grew up in Magnolia, Texas. He was a third-round draft choice of the Blue Jays in 2018.
Previously a rotation regular of the Fisher Cats, Kloffenstein is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA over 89 innings of work. He has shown some impressive strikeout stuff at the Double-A level this season with 105 punchouts. He also had one complete-game effort earlier this season.
Per MLB Pipeline, Kloffenstein was ranked as Toronto’s 18th-best prospect prior to being traded. He is now ranked as the 23rd-best prospect in the Cardinals farm system.
Tekoah Roby
Tekoah Roby is a 21-year-old with a four-pitch arsenal and the ability to top upper 90s with his fastball. He was born in North Carolina, played high school baseball in Florida and ended up as a third-round draft choice of the Rangers in 2020.
Roby has dealt with some injuries this season, but currently strung together a 2-3 record with a 5.05 ERA over 46.1 innings pitched for the Double-A Frisco Rough Riders. Roby excels in limiting damage from walks, only allowing 54 free passes over 38 career minor-league games.
Per MLB Pipeline, Roby was ranked as Texas’s fourth-best prospect in a stacked farm system prior to being traded. He is now ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Cardinals farm system.
Thomas Saggese
Thomas Saggese, a 21-year-old, is the only position player who the Cardinals acquired in Sunday’s deals. A shortstop by trait, Saggese is California native who the Rangers drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB draft out of high school.
Saggese rose through the Rangers farm system quickly with good plate discipline and ability to pile on runs. He has a .299 batting average 185 RBI over 269 career minor league games across the Single-A and Double-A levels.
Per MLB Pipeline, Saggese was ranked as Texas’s eighth-best prospect prior to being traded. He is now also ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the Cardinals farm system.
John King
John King is not a prospect, but a left-handed relief pitcher and complimentary piece in the deal with the Rangers. King has four years of MLB experience with the Rangers, during which he has compiled a 10-10 record with a 4.27 ERA over 87 games.
King was a 10th round draft choice of the Rangers in 2017 and did have some starting experience in the minors. However, he has mainly been used in long relief and situational spots at the MLB level. That will likely continue with the Cardinals, and King is expected to join the St. Louis roster before Tuesday’s series opener with the Minnesota Twins.
What To Watch Now
Robberse and Kloffenstein will both report to Triple-A Memphis. Roby and Saggese will both report to Double-A Springfield. MLB Pipeline projects all four could potentially reach the majors by next season.
Time is ticking on the MLB trade deadline, which ends Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT. The Cardinals will likely take calls on Jack Flaherty, Paul DeJong and a few other position players prior to the deadline.