Cardinals Rumors: Tink Hence is a prospect to protect

Tink Hence is rising up prospect charts and for good reason. At just 20 years old, Hence essentially has a full arsenal of pitches at his disposal and has caught the eye of rival scouts:

"He's 20 years old and throws four pitches, all of which are average or above, and he's a strike-thrower with command. I saw him in the past when he first signed as a second-rounder in 2020, and he was interesting then. Now, he looks like he's got a chance to be on the fast track," one scout told The Athletic's Zach Buchanan.

Hence's fastball velocity sits around 94-98 MPH, and he offers up three breaking pitches, including a wicked changeup and curveball. If he continues to progress, he could be the Cardinals ace of the future, and boy do they need one.

As enticing as some of the top pitchers may be around the trade deadline, Hence should remain off limits, as should Jordan Walker, of course. Hence is expected to rise in the next MLB Pipeline prospect rankings, as he's already a top-65 prospect in the majors. He's on the fast track to making the big leagues, and could very well find himself in St. Louis by 2025, if all goes right.

With Shane Bieber and Aaron Nola mentioned as potential trade candidates this summer, it'll be tough to keep Hence out of those conversations. If the Cards can avoid it, they should.

Cardinals Rumors: Take a chance on Zach Plesac

The Cleveland Guardians designated Zach Plesac for assignment on Sunday morning, just a month after suggesting they weren't giving up on the former hotshot rookie. Plesac is years removed from his successful 2019 and 2020 campaigns, but injuries largely are to blame for derailing his career.

Plesac has made just five starts this season, and has a 7.59 ERA. He's nowhere near his best right now, and despite being optioned relatively recently, the Guardians have seen enough. Both sides needed a fresh start.

MLB Trade Rumors made the argument that Plesac's early-career success had a lot to do with the defense behind him, rather than his approach on the mound:

"That early success was in no small part due to a tiny .246 average on balls in play and lofty 81.5% strand rate. Those numbers regressed toward the league averages in 2021-22 and did so in conjunction with velocity and strikeout rate both taking a step back. The result was 274 1/3 innings of 4.49 ERA ball — a passable but unexciting set of results that looked more commensurate with a fourth or fifth starter than what Plesac had displayed in his first two seasons."

A team like the Cardinals, who could use some rotation depth, ought to take a chance on Plesac. Considering the defense they could line up behind the ground-ball pitcher, Plesac could find similar success to his early years in Cleveland if all goes according to plan.

Cardinals Rumors: Time to trade Paul Goldschmidt?

Rival executives are curious as to the St. Louis Cardinals long-term plans with Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy has a year left on his contract after the 2023 season. Given that level of uncertainty, could the Cards offload Goldschmidt now when his value is still high?

It seems unlikely. The Cardinals have a lot of faith in the core of Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, even if it's not working for them in the moment. Pitching help is on the way from the minor leagues in the year to come, and if anything, St. Louis could add at the deadline in preparation for a late-season run or even 2024. ESPN's Jeff Passan posed the question, though:

"…Might the Cardinals consider moving reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt? With one year left on his contract, Goldschmidt would be a tremendous fit in the middle of any lineup — though with a full no-trade clause, he would need to be on board with any deal for it to happen."

From the sounds of it, said rival executive is merely hoping Goldschmidt becomes available, rather than speaking from a place of knowledge. Trading away Goldschmidt or Arenado would set the Cards back for years, and force them into a rebuild the fanbase didn't ask for. Both players are in their competitive primes.

Expect the Cards to add, or at worst trade away some rental piece and/or outfielders, since that is a position of relative strength. Pitching is somewhere this team could improve.