Cardinals Reunite With Former Top Prospect

After being let go by the Cleveland Guardians, Oscar Mercado is heading back to where everything started for him.

Today, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that they had reunited with one of their former top prospects.

Mercado was drafted in the second round in 2013 by the Cardinals.

The young outfield prospect was highly regarded within the organization.

At the 2018 trade deadline, the Cardinals shipped Mercado off to the Guardians, then known as the Indians.

The speedy outfielder made his MLB debut with Cleveland on May 24, 2019.

Now, the 27-year-old finds himself right back where everything began.

St. Louis signed him to a minor league contract earlier today.

We have signed the following five minor league free agents:

▪️OF Oscar Mercado
▪️INF Taylor Motter
▪️SS Juniel Querecuto
▪️LHP Kenny Hernandez
▪️RHP Logan Sawyer#STLCards

— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) November 18, 2022

Cards Reunite With Mercado

Mercado’s best season came in 2019.

That year, he hit .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI.

Mercado soon regressed after his fantastic rookie season.

He was limited to just 36 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

His production improved slightly in 2021, as he hit six home runs and drove in 19.

Still, he hit only .224.

The Guardians let the outfielder go late in the 2022 season.

The Philadelphia Phillies then picked him up after the Guardians had released him.

Mercado owns a career .235 batting average and a total of 26 home runs, as well as a 2.7 WAR.

With the Cardinals in need of some outfield depth, having Mercado back in the system gives them somewhat of a boost as they continue searching for bats.

Of course, Mercado won’t be a heavy favorite to claim a roster spot, but the 27-year-old could potentially rediscover his stroke in spring training and emerge as a valuable fourth outfielder option.