Cardinals Acquire Top Pitching Prospect Matt Liberatore in Trade With Rays

We have a trade, MLB fans! And it's a pretty big one.

According to reports, the Tampa Bay Rays will be sending one of their prized pitching prospects, 2018 first-round pick Matt Liberatore, to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Well-regarded pitching prospect Matt Liberatore has been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the St. Louis Cardinals, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. It's part of a trade expected to send major league pieces back to Tampa Bay, which has been searching for outfield bats.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 9, 2020

We don't know who is going to Tampa in return, but according to the latest buzz, the package will include "major league pieces."

With front-of-the-rotation type stuff, Liberatore, who just celebrated his 20th birthday, is expected to net the Rays a player (or players) who can contribute immediately. The No. 41-ranked prospect in all of baseball, Liberatore will almost immediately become the best pitching prospect in the Cardinals organization upon completion of this deal.

Matthew Liberatore would become the only #STLCards pitching prospect ranked in the Top 100. The 20-year-old left-hander brings a little added ceiling to a system that could use it in the arms department.
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) January 9, 2020

While the details of this trade are still being ironed out by the parties involved, it's clear that the Cardinals appreciate his impressive minor league track record (2.59 career ERA). As for the Rays, they're trading from a position of strength to upgrade the MLB roster in the short term as they come off an impressive season that saw them take the Houston Astros to five games in the ALDS.