Chaim Bloom has had a very good offseason, and offloading more talent to get young players was his main objective. He has done very well at this, and this deal was no different. We’ve all heard about Nolan Arenado being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nevertheless, we have little to no information about the return that the Cardinals got. The Cardinals managed to get their hands on a very interesting prospect: Jack Martinez.

Strengths on the Mound

Jack Martinez reaches 97 MPH with his fastball. Scouts praised this speed most heading into the 2025 MLB Draft. He was selected in the 8th round. He also uses a changeup that tricks hitters with its 13 MPH change in velocity. He complements both of those pitches with a slider, yet his other pitches are much more effective on the mound.

Weaknesses on the Mound

Jack Martinez struggles with his command. This has led him to post a 5.47 ERA in 15 starts in his final college year. Due to this performance, he was selected in one of the later rounds as a Starting Pitcher. If Jack improves his command, he could be an exciting starter for the Cardinals. He might even become a deceptive closer if he makes it to the big leagues. But you can tell there’s some upside to a pitcher with such an unorthodox delivery like his.

How can Jack help us long term?

At the end of the day, Jack Martinez is just a return for a salary dump. Even if Jack never becomes something special, he played a major role in a trade. This trade helped the Cardinals during a difficult rebuild. This should not discourage the talent this lottery ticket presently has for St. Louis. He has potential because he’s barely developed at the pro level. This is a very fun project for Chaim Bloom’s staff to manage heading into the 2026 MLB season.