Ex-Cardinals All-Star Hurler Listed Among Top Players To Build Franchise Around

St. Louis shouldn't have traded this pitcher away

Mar 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium before an opening day game / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have not looked like an 11-time World Series champion franchise for the last two seasons and one could argue that poor decisions at the front office are to blame.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is at the top of the list of people to blame for the club's struggles as his decisions have contributed to St. Louis' disappointing predicament.

Mozeliak has made crucial mistakes since assuming his role as POBO back in June 2017. Of all his poor decisions, trading away this hurler might be one of his worst.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Zac Gallen was placed No. 18 of the "Top 50 Players to Build a Team Around" by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.

Gallen has posted a 44-33 record with a 3.19 ERA, 774-to-218 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .217 batting average against and a 1.11 WHIP since making his Major League Baseball debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019 -- the team St. Louis traded him to along with National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara in a deal for Marcell Ozuna.

The 28-year-old has ranked in the top 10 for Cy Young award votes in three out of the last four seasons -- finishing in third place in 2023.

St. Louis never gave Gallen much of a chance after drafting him in 2016, trading him the following season, roughly six months after Mozeliak became POBO. The young ace went on to say that he felt disrespected by the Cardinals organization and the way it went down could've been handled better.

The Cardinals now have a rotation full of pitchers in their mid-30s and only one who can be relied on as a premier starter -- Sonny Gray.

Hopefully, St. Louis can find a way to stop trading away valuable talent and get back to the franchise's old ways of winning.

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