Cardinals Make Seven Moves on Deadline Day as Playoff Push Begins

The Hamilton Cardinals were not quiet on deadline day. With the postseason race tightening, the club announced seven roster moves designed to give manager Luis Bernardo more arms, more flexibility, and a deeper bench down the stretch. The biggest get is right-hander Dakota Parsons, acquired from the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers for cash considerations. Parsons has eaten innings in the Canadian Baseball League this summer, throwing 29 innings over eight starts with 27 strikeouts. He is expected to join the club on Tuesday, make spot starts and support the bullpen as the Cardinals push toward September. Hamilton also added outfielder Champ Garner as a free agent, a Canadian player coming home from the PECOS League. Garner is no stranger to the CBL, having spent the past two seasons with the London Majors. In 2024, he hit .267 with a .722 OPS, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 16 RBI and 24 runs scored over 37 games. He followed that with a .256 average, 6 doubles, 1 home run, 10 RBI and 14 runs in 35 games last summer. This year in the PECOS League, Garner was hitting .420 with a 1.052 OPS for the Garden City Thunder, with 5 doubles, a triple, 14 RBI and 20 runs scored in 17 games. The Cardinals are working to get him to Canada as soon as possible. The return of Freisis Adames from the injured list gives the rotation a significant boost. Before going down, Adames was one of the staff's most reliable starters, going 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 33 strikeouts against just 8 walks over 27 innings. His activation, however, forced the club to move Angel Guerrero to the inactive roster in order to stay within the import roster limit. Guerrero's absence stings. He has hit .299 with 6 home runs, 22 RBI and 16 runs scored in 26 games while playing error-free defense in the outfield. He will remain with the club and is eligible to return to the active roster later in the year if an import player is injured. Right-hander Owen Marshall was also promoted from the Cardinals' 22U roster and will remain with the club for the rest of the season. Not every move was an arrival. Jacob Gajic, one of the longest-standing members of the team, was placed on the inactive roster ahead of his return to school on August 10th. The move also helped create cap space as the club reshapes the roster for the playoff push. The club credited Gajic's understanding as the move opened up a roster spot and financial flexibility. In nine relief appearances this season, Gajic went 1-0 with one save over 6.2 innings. With Garner joining the outfield mix, Yolki Pena became expendable and was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for infielder Kirk Gibson. Pena played 14 games for Hamilton, batting .263 with 7 RBI and 5 runs scored. Gibson comes over from Toronto having appeared in 21 games, posting a .128 batting average with 2 RBI and one stolen base. The Cardinals will look for the veteran infielder to add depth and experience to the infield mix. By the end of Monday, the Cardinals had added starting depth, outfield punch, infield experience, and one of their best arms back from the injured list. The message was clear: the playoff push is here, and Hamilton intends to be ready.