Cardinals Former Top Prospect Tabbed Trade Candidate

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker has some of the highest potential in all of baseball. If he puts the pieces together, he could slug 30 or 40 home runs with some solid speed and solid defense in the outfield.

He's struggled to get going over the last few years in the big leagues, but the potential star is still just 22 years old. The team must remain patient with him in order to reap the benefits of the star prospects.

Russ Eddins of Just Baseball recently suggested the Cardinals could consider trading Walker rather than letting him figure out his struggles with the team that drafted him.

"The Cardinals could also consider trading Walker, along with a couple of prospects, for a new outfielder," Eddins wrote. "Many players that the Cardinals have traded or let walk in free agency have performed better after leaving St. Louis. 

"Paul Goldschmidt is the most recent example. The Cardinals chose not to re-sign him last offseason, and he is having a great year for the Yankees. Walker could be traded this season, but the more likely scenario is that he finishes the year with St. Louis and then gets traded in the offseason."

Giving up on Walker at his lowest value wouldn't make much sense for the Cardinals. It's hard to imagine his value will get any lower than it is right now no matter how poor he plays.

Instead, the Cardinals could continue to bet on their former first round pick in hopes that he begins tapping into his unparalleled potential at the big-league level. At this point in time, the Cardinals would be much better off riding it out with the young prospect.