Cardinals Trade Raquet to Orioles for Minor League Outfielder

photo: Brayden Smith (Oklahoma State University Athletics)

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals placed reliever Nick Raquet on waivers to make 40-man roster room for Jared Shuster. On Monday evening, St. Louis dealt the 30-year-old lefty to the Baltimore Orioles for High-A corner outfielder/second baseman Brayden Smith.

Brayden Smith

Smith, 22, was selected in the 13th round of the 2025 draft after one season with Oklahoma State following his move from Iowa Western.

As a professional in limited action at Low-A last year and one game at High-A in 2026, the left-handed hitter is 11-for-58 (.190) with 19 strikeouts and 13 walks.

If the Cardinals keep Smith at High-A, he will report to Peoria of the Midwest League.

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To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.


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