photo: Shawn Armstrong (Mike Watters/USA TODAY Sports)
On deadline day, the St. Louis Cardinals traded former first-rounder Dylan Carlson for Tampa Bay reliever Shawn Armstrong.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon (Tuesday, July 30) that they have completed a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, acquiring right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong in exchange for outfielder Dylan Carlson.
Armstrong, 33, has appeared in 38 games for the Rays this season, including seven starts, posting a 2-2 mark with a 5.40 ERA.
The 6-2, 225-pound Armstrong has pitched for Cleveland, Seattle, Baltimore, Miami and Tampa Bay over his 10-year major league career, compiling a 10-7 mark with a 4.18 ERA over 280 games (327.1 IP) with 344 strikeouts.
Last season, Armstrong fanned 54 batters in 52.0 IP for the Rays, and fashioned a 1.38 ERA, allowing just two home runs and 11 walks to go along with a 0.90 WHIP.
Armstrong has had postseason experience with the Rays the past two seasons, appearing in Wild Card round games in both 2022 and 2023.
Brian Walton’s take
After three years of declining performance hampered by injury, Carlson had been relegated to a bench role. It seemed a change of scenery would be best for the former first-rounder.
With Monday’s acquisition of veteran outfielder Tommy Pham, it appeared the odds of Carlson being traded increased.
The Cardinals had a stated need for more relief depth, so this trade accomplished two objectives for the team, currently two games out of the third wild card spot and just two games over .500 for the season.
However, Armstrong is a rental, set to become a free agent following the season. Carlson has two more years of team control in 2025 and 2026.
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