At the last trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox made a flurry of moves to try to improve the team. They achieved their goal of making the postseason, but screeched to a halt in the first round.
One of those trades saw Boston ship prospect Blaze Jordan off to the St. Louis Cardinals for left-handed pitcher Steven Matz.
Matz proved to be a valuable piece out of the bullpen. The veteran posted a 2.08 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and .215 BAA over 21 appearances for the Red Sox. He only struck out 12 batters in 21 2/3 innings, but walked just two. His ability to limit baserunners made him a relatively stress-free arm to see enter the game for Boston fans.
Jordan wasn’t just some random prospect. At one point, he was a highly-touted high school wunderkind who became the next can’t-miss power prospect. Then the hype died down. The Red Sox clearly weren’t very high on him by the time he was traded, but we still were.
Jordan started the 2026 season in Triple-A for the Cardinals and has been putting the pressure on them to bring him up ever since. On June 12, he got that call. He'll make his major league debut for the Cardinals at third base.
The 23-year-old slashed .313/.373/.548 with 19 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs in Triple-A. He’s driven in 35 runs, scored 37 more, and stolen two bases.
St. Louis Cardinals promote former Boston Red Sox prospect
Welcome to The Show, Blaze!
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 12, 2026
We have selected the contract of INF Blaze Jordan from Memphis (AAA). pic.twitter.com/lIw1RYva9R
Jordan can play first base (very well) and third base. At the time of the trade from Boston, the right-handed hitter had a batting average over .300 and a slugging percentage hovering around .500 between Double-A and Triple-A. He also had 33 walks compared to just 38 strikeouts.
Jordan was playing a position of need for the Red Sox, and has legitimate power potential. It was clear the front office wasn’t too interested, though. Former Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is in the front office for the Cardinals, and he actually drafted Jordan back in 2020. He still saw the infielder's potential.
Jordan struggled a bit after going to the Cardinals’ organization. He did manage to finish the year with 19 total home runs, which set a new career-best for the former third-round pick. He also set a career-high with 99 RBI and 80 runs scored.
Jordan has had a ridiculous string of bad luck in his career. He had a freak broken finger injury sliding into home plate, he got hit in the face with a fastball, it felt like the Red Sox didn’t believe in him anymore, even when he was raking, and then the Cardinals didn’t even give him the vote of confidence to put him on their 40-man roster.
Jordan’s used to the adversity, though. He’s been open about his battles with anxiety and depression, he’s worked hard on his body, and it’s all led here. Few players in minor league baseball have earned their shot like Blaze Jordan.
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