# Cardinals Trade Nick Raquet to Orioles For Brayden Smith - Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/ - Published: 2026-04-07T10:30:00-05:00 - Author: Eugene Tierney ### **_CARDINALS ACQUIRE INF/OF BRAYDEN SMITH FROM ORIOLES_** #### **_LHP NICK RAQUET TRADED TO BALTIMORE_** [⌊Cardinals News Header⌉⌊Cardinals News Header⌉[ [⌊Brayden Smith⌉⌊Brayden Smith⌉[ **ST. LOUIS, MO., April 7, 2026 – **The [St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/) today acquired minor league infielder/outfielder **_[Brayden Smith](https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=smith-064bra&utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br)_** in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for left-handed pitcher **_[Nick Raquet](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/raqueni01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br)_**_( ruh-KAY)_, who was designated for assignment. Smith, 22, was originally selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 13^(th) round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma State University. In his two-year professional career in the Orioles organization, the 6-foot-0, 190 lb. Smith has appeared in eight games at second base, six games in left field, and two in right field between Delmarva (A) and Frederick (A+). After 111 games over two seasons at Iowa Western Community College, the left-handed- hitting Smith transferred to Oklahoma State his junior season in 2025 and slashed. 304/.388/.548 (66-217) with 11 home runs, 40 RBI and a .936 OPS in 54 games. **— STL —** --- Raquet probably shouldn’t have been the guy removed from the 40-man; it should have been [Chris Roycroft](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roycrch01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br), who’s been hit around for 2 seasons now. In Smith, the team is receiving a depth piece prospect. He’s got a decent bat; it currently has a 45 hit tool and 40 power, while projected to be closer to 50/45 at his best. He’s a patient line-driver hitter with gap power, topping out around 10-12 homers. He’s struggled in a small sample size as a pro ( 16 games), but the Cardinals see this as an adjustment to pro ball rather than a red flag. His speed is a 50; he can swipe a few bags, but he’s not a [Victor Scott II](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/scottvi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br) type. The speed is good enough to handle most positions effectively. Defensively, he’s projected to be a 50 fielder and 50 arm; he’s got the hands, range and footwork to stick at second, but can handle all 3 outfield positions. The arm is good enough to handle most position. Long term, he looks like a 2B/corner OFer. I could see him being a potential [Jose Fermin](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fermijo02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br) type if he gets some reps on the left side of the infield. He’d probably pencil in at the back half of [my top 50 prospects](https://www.nyrdcast.com/2026/02/2026-top-cardinals-prospects-the-tracker/). It’s a low risk, high reward deal. They clear a spot for [Jared Shuster](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/shustja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.nyrdcast.com&utm_campaign=2026-04-07_br), who can be no worse than Roycroft; they add a 22-year-old infielder in exchange for a 30-year-old reliever they picked up off the scrap heap that never really established himself at the highest level. ### Share this: * [ Facebook ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=facebook) * [ X ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=x) * [ Email ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Cardinals%20Trade%20Nick%20Raquet%20to%20Orioles%20For%20Brayden%20Smith&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyrdcast.com%2Fcardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith%2F&share=email) * [ LinkedIn ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=linkedin) * [ Mastodon ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=mastodon) * [ Nextdoor ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=nextdoor) * [ Pinterest ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=pinterest) * [ Reddit ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=reddit) * [ Tumblr ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/cardinals-trade-nick-raquet-to-orioles-for-brayden-smith/?share=tumblr) ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _Related_