Angels-White Sox Trade Points To Positive Return For Cardinals' Hurlers

St. Louis may land top prospects in exchange for rentals

It's no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals will be selling at this year's trade deadline in an attempt to stack their farm system to the brim.

The Cardinals have two of the hottest pitchers on the market -- Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty -- both impending free agents. With the Chicago White Sox's recent trade with the Los Angeles Angels, it's looking like St. Louis can seriously cash in on some top prospects for both pitchers.

After the Angels decided to trade away two of their top prospects -- catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush -- in exchange for the Chicago White Sox's right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López, the return rate for Montgomery and Flaherty looks promising.

Quero is the No. 65 prospect in the league and was the No. 2 Angels prospect in their farm system according to MLB Pipeline. Bush was the No. 3 Angels prospect.

This year's trade deadline is a seller's market and this trade gives the Cardinals leverage going into next week. St. Louis can now negotiate with buyers and point to what the White Sox did as a way to muscle top prospects, especially since Montgomery profiles quite similarly to Giolito.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the hub of pitching prospects and are in search of starting pitching at the big-league level. The New York Yankees have been long rumored as a fit as well, potentially opening the door for St. Louis to land some controllable pitching -- the biggest need in the organization.

With it being almost certain to see Flaherty and Montgomery traded, it'll be interesting to see what the Cardinals can get in return. Given the outcome of Los Angeles' bold move, it's fair to assume some top prospects will be flying over in the coming days.

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