Central STL News

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded reliever Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league pitchers Skyler Hales and Mason Molina, as well as international bonus pool money. The move was finalized just before the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Thursday.

“All deadlines, when you’re done, there’s a feeling of exhaustion and relief and this one’s no different,” said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals' president of baseball operations who will step down at the end of the season. “I wish we were on the other side where we were looking to add instead of break up. But, ultimately, we had to do what was best for the organization and that part’s tough.

“Reflecting back on what we were able to accomplish, I hope it’s viewed in a positive way. Trades are not judged on the moment, but in time. But as I think back on my career, it’s hard to put into words what I’m thinking and feeling at the moment. The last 72 hours have been a blur, like most of us in baseball, but we’re just taking that deep breath now.”

The trade is part of a broader effort by the Cardinals to retool their roster after falling out of playoff contention. In July, after being nine games over .500 late in June and competing for a National League Wild Card spot, the team struggled and reached Thursday with an even 55-55 record. While other teams such as the San Diego Padres added talent at the deadline—acquiring players like Mason Miller and Ryan O’Hearn—the Cardinals reduced their bullpen depth by moving key veterans.

Mozeliak explained that despite receiving numerous trade inquiries about young left-handed hitters Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Nolan Gorman, none of those players were dealt because offers did not meet expectations. “We got hit a lot [with trade offers] on our left-handed hitters, but we were not motivated to move hitters that we had under control unless we were -- to put it mildly -- blown away,” Mozeliak said. “And we just weren’t.”

The transaction with Texas followed earlier trades that sent closer Ryan Helsley and pitcher Steven Matz elsewhere for four minor league players. The moves leave three open spots in St. Louis’ bullpen ahead of Friday's series opener against San Diego.

“It’s not a surprise what we did in the clubhouse, and players understood that we weren’t playing at the level we needed to be on the other side of the ledger, i.e., trying to add,” Mozeliak said. “The players we moved were obviously valuable pieces to our team and they will be missed. But sports, like all businesses, it’s all about opportunities and some individuals will get the opportunities that they haven’t been getting. We’ll see what they do with it. This year, we were trying to create that opportunity for some of our younger players and now they’re going to get more of that, and hopefully they run with it.”

Mozeliak also noted he spoke with veterans Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras—all holding no-trade clauses—who confirmed their preference to remain with St. Louis through this season.

Mason Molina was selected in the seventh round of last year’s MLB Draft by Milwaukee out of Arkansas before joining Texas’ system; he posted a 3-5 record with a 3.41 ERA over 18 appearances (17 starts) between Class A and High-A this season and struck out 92 batters in 74 innings pitched. According to MLB Pipeline rankings prior to his arrival in St. Louis' organization he will slot into No. 26 among top prospects.

Skyler Hales has worked primarily as a reliever this year between Double-A and Triple-A levels with a combined record of 1-5 along with five saves; he has thrown 33 innings across 34 outings while striking out 40 batters.