Cardinals–D-Backs Lars Nootbaar Trade Suddenly Looks One-Sided

At the time, Eagen was the Diamondbacks' No. 5 overall prospect. Right now, he's the Cardinals' No. 22 overall prospect. That's not a knock on him, but just shows how loaded the Cardinals' farm system is in general. While he may not be a top-five prospect in St. Louis' system, he has been an excellent addition to the organization so far.

Eagen is currently pitching for Double-A Springfield. He has made four starts and has a 3.38 ERA and a 31-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 innings pitched. Eagen has been almost unhittable. He has a 0.792 WHIP in the Cardinals' system so far. In comparison, his WHIP was 1.305 in the Diamondbacks' system this season before the trade and he had a 4.95 ERA in 20 starts for Double-A Amarillo.

Obviously, it's early. Eagen has made just four starts for the Cardinals down in the minors. But the 23-year-old has looked the part. On the other hand, Nootbaar has struggled in Arizona. The veteran outfielder is slashing .170/.290/.264 with one home run and five RBIs in 17 games. The Cardinals got a guy who could help this rotation into the future and replaced Nootbaar with Joshua Báez, for a guy who has only one season of control left and is hitting under .200.

One thing that is true about Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is that he knows how to build out an elite farm system. He has done it everywhere he has been. While some have questioned the club's decision to trade pieces this summer, it was the right call. The Cardinals have one of the youngest rosters in baseball and aren't in a position just yet to contend with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers or even the Milwaukee Brewers. Next year, that shouldn't be the case. But it is this year.

The Cardinals entered the season with a focus on development. Outperforming expectations in the first half changed the way many viewed this club. They are better than most expected. But still early in this rebuild. That's why investing in the farm system made sense. Someone like Eagen may not get a lot of headlines right now because he's down in Double-A, but that could change in the not-so-distant future.

The Cardinals have supercharged the farm system since Bloom took over and have the second-best one in the league, per Baseball America. The biggest problem for the Cardinals over the last three years has been pitching. Since last offseason, the Cardinals have loaded this farm system with pitchers, including Eagen. He's not all, though. Just since the winter, the Cardinals have added Brandon Clarke (No. 9 prospect), Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 12 prospect), Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 13 prospect) and Miller, among others.

They likely won't all help the Cardinals in the majors, but they have given themselves a lot of dice rolls. The future is bright.