Cardinals Swing Pre-Deadline Trade With Guardians For Versatile Depth Player

St. Louis acquired some depth heading into the weekend

Scott Neville | Jun 17, 2023

Cardinals Swing Pre-Deadline Trade With Guardians For Versatile Depth Player /

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Most deals made way ahead of the trade deadline would be deemed as minor transactions, such is the case in the latest agreement between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians.

The Cardinals traded $100,000 for Guardians utility man Richie Palacios on Friday according to several reports. To make room for Palacios on the 40-man roster, outfielder Tyler O'Neill (lingering back strain) was placed on the 60-day injured list. Palacios was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

The 26-year-old was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Sunday, which led St. Louis to scoop him up before he hit waivers.

Palacios hit .217 with 16 extra-base hits including three home runs, 30 RBIs and a .669 OPS in 56 games for Triple-A Columbus this season.

While his numbers don't jump off the page this season, his career minor-league numbers are much more satisfying. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound utility man is hitting .286 with 95 extra-base hits including 20 home runs, 144 RBIs and a .833 OPS in 249 career games.

Palacios has experience playing middle infield but primarily resides in the outfield. He logged some time at the big-league level last season and was not able to prove his worth offensively. He hit .232 with six extra-base hits, 10 RBIs and a .597 OPS in 54 games.

The immediate fan reaction when a team trades for a player like Palacios would be to get upset over adding a player who hasn't been able to produce as of late. However, Palacios is nothing more than a depth piece at the moment, who can fill in at numerous positions should injuries continue to mount. He also happens to have strong upside for a player who was acquired for cash.

The former third-round pick was an above-average hitter at every level until he got off track midway through last season and has been stumped since. Should he find his way again, he could be a solid contributor. Until then, he's purely an emergency depth piece.

More MLB: MLB Insider Hints Cardinals Reportedly Could Trade Rising Star To Shakeup Roster

Published Jun 17, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu