Cardinals Raised Eyebrows With 'Weirdest' Trade Deadline Swap

The St. Louis Cardinals entered trade deadline week knowing they wanted to look ahead towards the future and do so by trading players heading to free agency.

St. Louis swung three deals. The first, was a swap with the Boston Red Sox in which the Cardinals traded Steven Matz away for infield prospect Blaze Jordan. He overlapped with Chaim Bloom with the Red Sox and was the player brought to town this summer closest to the big leagues. The Cardinals also traded Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton for prospects, but much lower in the minors.

The Red Sox clearly wanted bullpen help and some called the deal an overpay for Boston. This deal surprised some to the point where The Athletic's Jim Bowden actually called it the "weirdest" of the trade deadline.

"Weirdest trade: The Red Sox acquiring lefty Steven Matz from the Cardinals for first-base prospect Blaze Jordan," Bowden said. "I just didn’t understand the move for Boston: adding a 34-year-old failed starter-turned-reliever who is making $12.5 million (and will be a free agent at season’s end) for Jordan, who has slashed .304/.373/.486 between Double A and Triple A this year."

For the Cardinals, this a great move. St. Louis got a prospect Bloom clearly must've liked on the doorstep of the big leagues. Boston got a talented hurler heading to free agency. There's no chance that Matz would've returned in 2026. St. Louis traded a player who was leaving anyway for a solid lottery ticket in Jordan. It makes sense for St. Louis, but certainly was a little surprising for Boston.