It would be a mistake for the St. Louis Cardinals to trade Alex Reyes

I certainly hope, after all he, the franchise and the fans have been through that the St. Louis Cardinals don’t give up on Alex Reyes now.

This week a rumor popped up that the New York Yankees were interested trading Miguel Andujar to the Cardinals for Reyes. And let’s not forget that Reyes is still young (he’s only 26) and in terms of wear and tear with only 72 2/3 major league innings under his belt, a beneficial side effect of the injuries that sidelined him earlier in his career.

After a troubling 2019, Reyes showed he was really back in 2020. He made it through the entire season without getting hurt. He also showed the dominating stuff that made him the Cardinals’ top prospect for several years. The right-handed hurler struck out 27 in 19 2/3 innings as a reliever last year. The Cardinals have said they plan to move Reyes into the starting rotation in 2021 and beyond, but if Reyes proves to be fragile into the future, his 2020 numbers show he could be converted into a dominating back end of the rotation reliever, limiting his innings and keeping him healthy.

I’m not sure there are many players who I’d trade for a guy with the ceiling Reyes has. Especially if the short term goal of the front office is to add talent without payroll. That would seem to rule out a Reyes for Nolan Arenado deal or a similar move for a slugger who could be dropped right in to the middle of the order to make an immediate impact. I’m not very excited about the idea of trading a guy that we’ve been waiting on for four years who seems to have finally arrived for a player who is less than a finished and established product.

Andujar has notched one fantastic major league season, hitting .297 with 28 home runs and 47 doubles his first full campaign in the big leagues in 2018, although he only had a .328 on base percentage, which is remarkably low for a guy who nearly hit .300. Since the, Andujar has replaced creating a lot of runs with creating a lot of questions. He’s played 33 games over the past two years because of a combination of injuries and a lack of productivity, batting .183 over that span with only one home run.

I just don’t see enough promise in Andujar to justify giving up such a talented pitcher to get him. Sure, I’d take him for a lesser prospect. But the reward simply isn’t worth the risk in this case.

If Andujar does prove he can hit once again, that doesn’t get us past the fact that he’s a terrible third baseman. It’s true, the hot corner is a position of need for St. Louis. But it would be nice if they could find someone who is as good at catching the ball there as he is at hitting it. Andujar is a designated hitter waiting to happen.

Beyond the concerns about Adujar’s past, I think the Cardinals front office would be equally concerned about Reyes’ future.

John Mozeliak and company are still taking hits over the trade of Luke Voit to the Yankees and I’m sure they cringe every time the slugger hits another home run. Then, of course, there is the saga of Randy Arozarena finding massive success after being dealt away. Could Mozeliak’s gang weather another trade bust? I wouldn’t want to find out if I was in their shoes.

People think Mozeliak is bulletproof because the Cardinals has so much success a few years ago. But baseball memories are short. Walt Jocketty was still basking in the glory of the 2006 World Series when he was let go. Besides, Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. prioritized developing players from within. So, it would seem to be problematic that the Cardinals seem to keep the guys who don’t pan out and trade the ones who do.

Scott Wuerz

Belleville News-Democrat

Scott Wuerz has written “Cheap Seats,” a St. Louis Cardinals fan blog for the Belleville News-Democrat, since 2007. He is a former BND reporter who covered breaking news and education.