Hicks to the Blue Jays. Who's going to blow saves for us now? I guess we still have VerHagen and Gallegos to fill that need.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full trade, per ESPN sources:<br><br>Rangers receive: LHP Jordan Montgomery and RHR Chris Stratton<br><br>Cardinals receive: IF Thomas Saggese, RHP Tekoah Roby and LHP John King<br><br>The deal is done. The Rangers get another starter and another reliever. They are all in.</p>&mdash; Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1685743183865491456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Source: Right-hander Adam Kloffenstein is going to the St. Louis Cardinals from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Jordan Hicks trade. Unclear if there’s others involved.</p>&mdash; Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1685741404616814592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

If that's the headliner, the Cardinals got away with highway robbery!

Montgomery to Texas

Kloffenstein isn’t really a prospect. Robberse is the guy who will make or break that trade.

The Jays need the whiffs that Hicks will provide and have for a few years now. He’ll probably pitch in a setup role once Romano returns.

It’s not even make or break per se.

Hicks is a free agent after the season. If they weren’t goi f to extend him below market, getting anything for him is a positive.

Gut it and then the front office

And extend Nootbar.

Hicks has no value to the Cardinals for the remainder of this year, true, but he has value to contenders who need the relief help.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Robberse’s development will determine whether the Cardinals “win” the trade from a value perspective.

Get rid of Flaherty and Mo next please

What’s the most woke city that’s still in contention? That’s where JLM wants to go.

Correct.

I’m also not entirely sold that all the guys they acquired from Toronto and Texas will still be members of the organization when the off-season begins. I think they’ll likely try to trade a few of them to acquire a starter via trade, but that’s just a hunch.

Giants only 3 games out

I'm not sure i agree.

I mean Kloffenstein was a top 10 prospect for the Jays a year ago and a guy they broke the slot record for signing bonuses to get signed. They really liked him. And yes, he struggled in 2022 but has had a nice year in 2023.

He's a PLANET; built like an absolute tank. Works in the 94 mph range and can hit 97. Has 4 pitches including a slider that profiles as a big league pitch and a change that MIGHT become a plus pitch. He's only 22. I see no reason at all to write him off as a prospect even if the prospect hounds have. You set his profile and his performance this year side by side with McGreevy and there's no reason to pick McGreevy over him as likely to be a SP in the big leagues over the next 2 seasons.

And the prospect guys like Robberse but he just looks like a relief pitcher to me. He's an undersized 'pitchability' righty with no putaway pitch to speak of.

Of the two, I'd bank on Kloffenstein having a more impactful career, though I don't expect either of them to ever be more than maybe a #4 starter.

Regarding the Montgomery deal - I'm not a huge fan of Roby; again I'm gonna break with the prospect guys here. To me, the guy he looks most like in our system is....Robberse. He's another smallish righty with 4 pitches, none of which are likely to profile as plus, and a fastball that is okay. Honestly he just looks like Kloffenstein-Light; both in terms of stature and prospect status.

Saggese is the guy out of that deal I like the most but for HIM to make this a winner of a deal, I think a deal for Donovan or maybe Edman has to be made to clear a spot for him. He looks to be maybe a Chris Taylor sort of player; defensively versatile with a little pop but an average hit tool. Just looks like a dirt dog who will probably play in the big leagues someday.

I think the return on Hicks was solid. I think the return on Montgomery is underwhelming. I think we got a middle reliever and a utility infielder there. I feel like you should've been able to do more than that with a #3 starter given how many teams BADLY need starting pitching and are in the thick of a post-season fight.