ST. LOUIS—The St. Louis Cardinals completed several trades ahead of the Major League Baseball’s 5p.m. deadline Monday, including one sending fan favorite outfielder Lars Nootbaar to Arizona.
Nootbaar, who is under contract through next season, returned from offseason surgery on both heels. The Diamondbacks shipped Daniel Eagen a Class AA righthander and left-handed reliever Sandro Santana, also in Class AA. Eagen was the organization’s fifth-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com while Santana was No. 26. The Cardinals will also receive a player to be named later.
Earlier in the day, the club sent starting pitcher Dustin May and reliever Jo Jo Romero to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a pair of minor league outfield prospects.
Both St. Louis pitchers were set to be hit the free agent market after the season. Romero was on the injured list after appendix surgery late last month.
In return from the Brewers, the Cardinals landed Alexander Frias, an 18 year-old lefthanded outfielder currently in Class A, and Josiah Ragsdale, 22, a lefthanded outfielder in Class AA. Frias was the 11th-ranked prospect in the Milwaukee system according to MLB.com, while Ragsdale came in at 13th overall.
The Cardinals also announced a trade with Cincinnati Reds, picking up veteran lefthanded reliever Caleb Ferguson in exchange for an undisclosed amount of International Cap Space. Ferguson is under contract for the remainder of the season.
St. Louis has a 55-57 record on the season entering play Monday against the New York Yankees, standing four games out of the last National League Wild Card spot. After a surprising first half kept the team in playoff contention despite intentions to focus on future development over short term success, the club has struggled after the All-Star break by losing 7 of the last 10 games.