The Cardinals turned a pair of impending free agents into two of the more intriguing young bats in the Brewers’ system Monday, acquiring outfielders Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale in exchange for right-hander Dustin May and left-hander JoJo Romero.
The club announced the completed deal this afternoon. With St. Louis well out of contention in the National League Central, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom prioritized adding controllable talent that aligns with the club’s longer-term timeline.
Frias, ranked as Milwaukee’s No. 8 prospect by Baseball America and a Top 100 prospect by three different publications (FanGraphs No. 43, The Athletic No. 69, Baseball America No. 100), is the higher-upside piece. The 18-year-old left-handed hitter from Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic, signed with the Brewers as an international free agent in January 2025. He produced elite exit velocities and some of the best bat speed in the organization while posting strong numbers across the Arizona Complex League and Single-A. Standing 6-foot-2 and 177 pounds, Frias has drawn praise for his raw power potential and plus-plus arm strength from the outfield.
Scouting report: Alexander Frias Frias is a toolsy, projectable corner outfielder whose ceiling rests on his power. Baseball America grades him as a 55 overall with high risk, assigning a 50 hit tool, 60 power, 40 run, 40 field, and a standout 70 arm. The left-handed swing generates elite bat speed and already produces plus-plus raw power, with Statcast readings as high as 117 mph. The primary developmental question is loft: his swing plane remains relatively flat, leading to elevated ground-ball rates that have suppressed some of his over-the-fence production so far. If he learns to elevate more consistently, evaluators see 25-to-30-homer upside. Defensively he profiles best in right field, where the plus-plus arm becomes a weapon, though he is a below-average runner and will need to refine his routes and footwork. At just 18 (born March 10, 2008), Frias remains several years from the majors, but the raw ingredients are among the more exciting the Cardinals have added in recent deadline deals.
In 32 games with the Arizona Complex League Brewers, Frias slashed .441/.518/.678 with 18 extra-base hits, 34 RBI, 33 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. At the time of his June 23 promotion to Single-A Wilson, he led the ACL in batting average, on-base percentage and hits (52) while ranking near the top in several other categories. In 28 games at Wilson he has posted a .746 OPS with 10 extra-base hits, 28 RBI and seven stolen bases as the youngest player in the Carolina League as of late July. He is the younger brother of former Diamondbacks and Blue Jays pitcher Luis Frias.
Ragsdale, Milwaukee’s No. 13 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 22 by Baseball America, offers a more immediate path. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter, selected in the seventh round of the 2025 Draft out of Boston College (after two seasons at Iona), has enjoyed a breakout campaign defined by emerging power and elite speed. Across High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi this season he is batting .316/.441/.581 with 19 home runs, 51 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a 1.022 OPS in 86 games. Among qualified full-season minor leaguers, he ranks seventh in OBP and eighth in OPS. A recent stretch at Biloxi has been particularly impressive: 10 home runs in his last 13 games, the most of any player in MLB or MiLB since July 19. He is one of just eight minor leaguers this season with at least 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases and sits one home run shy of a 20-double, 20-homer, 30-steal season. He has started 42 games in center field and 41 in right field.
Scouting report: Josiah Ragsdale Ragsdale is a plus athlete whose carrying tool is 70-grade speed. He runs well enough to stick in center field for the foreseeable future and covers ground with plus range, though his arm grades closer to fringe-average and could eventually push him toward a corner if needed. The left-handed swing has undergone a meaningful transformation in 2026. After showing mostly gap power in college and his first pro season, Ragsdale has elevated the ball more consistently this year, cutting his ground-ball rate significantly and unlocking legitimate all-fields over-the-fence power. He already posts strong hard-hit and barrel rates and has demonstrated the ability to drive the ball to all fields. The hit tool grades closer to average, supported by a selective approach and solid walk rates, though strikeouts have climbed some as he has gotten more aggressive in the zone. At 6-foot, 185 pounds (born Dec. 21, 2003, in Vineland, N.J.), Ragsdale does not possess the physical projection of Frias, but his combination of speed, improving power, and defensive versatility gives him a clearer near-term path and a chance to become a regular contributor.
May, who signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals last winter, went 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts this season. His underlying metrics (including a 3.14 FIP) suggested better performance than the surface numbers, and he provided reliable innings after a slow start. Romero, a steady left-handed presence in the St. Louis bullpen in recent years, posted a 3.35 ERA in 43 innings before an emergency appendectomy sidelined him in mid-July. He is expected to return to action later this month. Both pitchers are free agents after the season.
For the Cardinals, the trade represents a classic deadline exchange of short-term pitching for longer-term position-player upside. Frias brings the kind of raw tools that can develop into a middle-of-the-order bat if the power fully translates. Ragsdale’s combination of speed, improving power, and defensive versatility gives the organization a prospect who could move relatively quickly through the system.
Bloom has emphasized restocking the farm with high-ceiling talent during the current rebuild phase. Landing two of the Brewers’ faster-rising outfielders for two rentals fits that approach cleanly. Whether Frias develops into a legitimate impact bat or Ragsdale emerges as a big-league regular remains to be seen, but the Cardinals have added two pieces with clear paths to contributing in the years ahead.
