Noah Cameron is rumored for Donovan

[Galatians221jb1]

This forum is on the Post-Dispatch web site, so if you're interested in the article and reporting that spawned content elsewhere, it's available here, from Sunday morning's Post-Dispatch: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... =mp-sports

Some of the other reporting was also featured in a podcast that posted Friday afternoon. That too is available in this site.

Thanks for reading.

You're good at what you do.

Amen!

[TraveledLessRoad]

Agreed. We're lucky to have Derrick

[imetsatchelpaige]

https://x.com/mlbaseball_live/status/19 ... 64232?s=46

Article says “plus” Noah Cameron. Pitches well in his first season with Royals. 9-7 with a 2.99 era

If the Royals were offering Cameron+ a deal would already be done. A young emerging ace with several years of control for two years of Donovan doesn’t make sense. Acquiring Donovan is a win now move while trading Cameron and severely weakening their rotation is counterproductive. I guess I can hope they’re stupid like that.

If that was the offer it would be stupid for bloom to immediately take instead of asking the other teams if they can or are willing to top it and then negotiating from there. And like someone else said the royals said they are willing to trade from their rotation depth

If true, it greatly strengthens his negotiating position with other teams. Interesting.

[Jatalk]

The "plus" had better be substantial.

In 2025:

Cameron - 7.42 K/9, 2.80 BB/9, 1.17 HR/9, 4.18 FIP
Liberatore - 7.24 K/9, 2.37 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, 4.03 FIP

And Cameron is actually 3 months older than Liberatore.

I'd like a lot more upside than a FV 45 guy who projects as basically a #4 SP for six years of team control.

BTV has Cameron +26 vs. Donovan +32, and if there is a bidding war for Donovan I'd expect the Cardinals to extract somewhat more than his value, not less.

You make a good evaluation but at least it’s nice to see the return is for someone with MLB experience. I read all these posts just looking or expecting prospects tow or three years away.

[CorneliusWolfe]

https://x.com/mlbaseball_live/status/19 ... 64232?s=46

Article says “plus” Noah Cameron. Pitches well in his first season with Royals. 9-7 with a 2.99 era

If the Royals were offering Cameron+ a deal would already be done. A young emerging ace with several years of control for two years of Donovan doesn’t make sense. Acquiring Donovan is a win now move while trading Cameron and severely weakening their rotation is counterproductive. I guess I can hope they’re stupid like that.

If that was the offer it would be stupid for bloom to immediately take instead of asking the other teams if they can or are willing to top it and then negotiating from there. And like someone else said the royals said they are willing to trade from their rotation depth

You mean get greedy and overly patient and play games with teams like Scott Boras’ clients? Teams aren’t going to fall for that [shirt]. You gotta give to get and it works both ways. If true, this is the bones of a good trade for both sides and fills a position of great need. Any rebuild strategy should start with acquiring young cost controlled pitching. The fact it is not a lottery ticket and an actual MLB roster player is even better.

[mattmitchl44]

The "plus" had better be substantial.

In 2025:

Cameron - 7.42 K/9, 2.80 BB/9, 1.17 HR/9, 4.18 FIP
Liberatore - 7.24 K/9, 2.37 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, 4.03 FIP

And Cameron is actually 3 months older than Liberatore.

I'd like a lot more upside than a FV 45 guy who projects as basically a #4 SP for six years of team control.

BTV has Cameron +26 vs. Donovan +32, and if there is a bidding war for Donovan I'd expect the Cardinals to extract somewhat more than his value, not less.

You make a good evaluation but at least it’s nice to see the return is for someone with MLB experience. I read all these posts just looking or expecting prospects tow or three years away.

If they take someone with meaningful MLB experience, it means they'll probably have to take someone with a lower ceiling, if a higher floor, like Cameron.

It would rather they take someone with less/no MLB experience, but who is ML-ready, and who has a higher ceiling.

[CorneliusWolfe]

The "plus" had better be substantial.

In 2025:

Cameron - 7.42 K/9, 2.80 BB/9, 1.17 HR/9, 4.18 FIP
Liberatore - 7.24 K/9, 2.37 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, 4.03 FIP

And Cameron is actually 3 months older than Liberatore.

I'd like a lot more upside than a FV 45 guy who projects as basically a #4 SP for six years of team control.

BTV has Cameron +26 vs. Donovan +32, and if there is a bidding war for Donovan I'd expect the Cardinals to extract somewhat more than his value, not less.

You make a good evaluation but at least it’s nice to see the return is for someone with MLB experience. I read all these posts just looking or expecting prospects tow or three years away.

If they take someone with meaningful MLB experience, it means they'll probably have to take someone with a lower ceiling, if a higher floor, like Cameron.

It would rather they take someone with less/no MLB experience, but who is ML-ready, and who has a higher ceiling.

Of course you would. How do you really know they are ML ready with no experience? 2.97 ERA in a full season with 5 years of control not good enough or young enough for you?

You’d probably trade him for the Little League MVP because he’d have more “ceiling”.

[mattmitchl44]

FG's last write up on Cameron:

Cameron was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Central Arkansas not long after he had a Tommy John surgery. He had an encouraging 2023, his first full season, despite a 5.28 ERA, as he posted strong peripherals across 107.1 innings (28.3% K%, 7.5% BB%) and reached Double-A. His 2024 and early-2025 performance have been practically identical. Cameron worked 128.2 innings in 2024, and during the second half of the season was stretched out to six or seven innings per outing. This year, he made seven good Triple-A starts and was promoted to the bigs. His delivery is effortless and repeatable, and Cameron commands all four of his pitches, giving him an incredibly high floor as a prospect because he has basically no relief risk.

His best pitch is a changeup in the 80-84 mph range. It’s uncommon for pitchers with Cameron’s nearly perfect vertical arm slot to be able to turn over a changeup from this position, let alone a plus one, but even as he has climbed into the upper levels of the minors, this pitch has been generating plus miss. It succeeds more because of Cameron’s ability to locate it than its pure movement, and it’s also aided by how long he hides the baseball, and how loose and free his arm action is. The vertical nature of Cameron’s arm stroke creates backspinning ride on his fastball. It isn’t a speedy offering — it sits about 92 mph and will peak around 96 — but, again, deception and command season its effectiveness. The combination of his below-average velo and a top-of-the-zone approach to fastball location has made Cameron homer-prone for stretches in the minors, especially in 2023, when he allowed 19 bombs in 107.1 innings, and again so far this year. Seemingly in response to this, he’s upped his cutter usage in 2025, more as a way to stay off barrels than to miss bats.

Cameron also has an 80-84 mph 12-to-6 curveball, the shape of which mirrors that of his fastball. He will manipulate its direction somewhat against lefties to give it a little more of a slider look. The depth of his curveball and the quality of his changeup gives Cameron two ways to tilt with righties and generate whiffs. Against lefties, he becomes heavily reliant on his fastball. This guy is a very stable rotation piece with two plus attributes and two average ones. Though he lacks star-level stuff, Cameron is a stable, polished no. 4 starter prospect.

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Isn’t this the Cardinalslive goof who has been around for years and just makes [shirt] up based on stuff he steals from others?

[CorneliusWolfe]

FG's last write up on Cameron:

Cameron was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Central Arkansas not long after he had a Tommy John surgery. He had an encouraging 2023, his first full season, despite a 5.28 ERA, as he posted strong peripherals across 107.1 innings (28.3% K%, 7.5% BB%) and reached Double-A. His 2024 and early-2025 performance have been practically identical. Cameron worked 128.2 innings in 2024, and during the second half of the season was stretched out to six or seven innings per outing. This year, he made seven good Triple-A starts and was promoted to the bigs. His delivery is effortless and repeatable, and Cameron commands all four of his pitches, giving him an incredibly high floor as a prospect because he has basically no relief risk.

His best pitch is a changeup in the 80-84 mph range. It’s uncommon for pitchers with Cameron’s nearly perfect vertical arm slot to be able to turn over a changeup from this position, let alone a plus one, but even as he has climbed into the upper levels of the minors, this pitch has been generating plus miss. It succeeds more because of Cameron’s ability to locate it than its pure movement, and it’s also aided by how long he hides the baseball, and how loose and free his arm action is. The vertical nature of Cameron’s arm stroke creates backspinning ride on his fastball. It isn’t a speedy offering — it sits about 92 mph and will peak around 96 — but, again, deception and command season its effectiveness. The combination of his below-average velo and a top-of-the-zone approach to fastball location has made Cameron homer-prone for stretches in the minors, especially in 2023, when he allowed 19 bombs in 107.1 innings, and again so far this year. Seemingly in response to this, he’s upped his cutter usage in 2025, more as a way to stay off barrels than to miss bats.

Cameron also has an 80-84 mph 12-to-6 curveball, the shape of which mirrors that of his fastball. He will manipulate its direction somewhat against lefties to give it a little more of a slider look. The depth of his curveball and the quality of his changeup gives Cameron two ways to tilt with righties and generate whiffs. Against lefties, he becomes heavily reliant on his fastball. This guy is a very stable rotation piece with two plus attributes and two average ones. Though he lacks star-level stuff, Cameron is a stable, polished no. 4 starter prospect.

2.99 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in across 140 innings in his first year might suggest he could exceed the #4 starter expectation.

[12xu]

FG's last write up on Cameron:

Cameron was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Central Arkansas not long after he had a Tommy John surgery. He had an encouraging 2023, his first full season, despite a 5.28 ERA, as he posted strong peripherals across 107.1 innings (28.3% K%, 7.5% BB%) and reached Double-A. His 2024 and early-2025 performance have been practically identical. Cameron worked 128.2 innings in 2024, and during the second half of the season was stretched out to six or seven innings per outing. This year, he made seven good Triple-A starts and was promoted to the bigs. His delivery is effortless and repeatable, and Cameron commands all four of his pitches, giving him an incredibly high floor as a prospect because he has basically no relief risk.

His best pitch is a changeup in the 80-84 mph range. It’s uncommon for pitchers with Cameron’s nearly perfect vertical arm slot to be able to turn over a changeup from this position, let alone a plus one, but even as he has climbed into the upper levels of the minors, this pitch has been generating plus miss. It succeeds more because of Cameron’s ability to locate it than its pure movement, and it’s also aided by how long he hides the baseball, and how loose and free his arm action is. The vertical nature of Cameron’s arm stroke creates backspinning ride on his fastball. It isn’t a speedy offering — it sits about 92 mph and will peak around 96 — but, again, deception and command season its effectiveness. The combination of his below-average velo and a top-of-the-zone approach to fastball location has made Cameron homer-prone for stretches in the minors, especially in 2023, when he allowed 19 bombs in 107.1 innings, and again so far this year. Seemingly in response to this, he’s upped his cutter usage in 2025, more as a way to stay off barrels than to miss bats.

Cameron also has an 80-84 mph 12-to-6 curveball, the shape of which mirrors that of his fastball. He will manipulate its direction somewhat against lefties to give it a little more of a slider look. The depth of his curveball and the quality of his changeup gives Cameron two ways to tilt with righties and generate whiffs. Against lefties, he becomes heavily reliant on his fastball. This guy is a very stable rotation piece with two plus attributes and two average ones. Though he lacks star-level stuff, Cameron is a stable, polished no. 4 starter prospect.

2.99 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in across 140 innings in his first year might suggest he could exceed the #4 starter expectation.

I agree. I would definitely take Cameron for Donovan, especially if KC throws in a prospect to sweeten the deal.

[Galatians221jb1]

Only minor concern I have is that like lefty hitters we are loaded with lefty pitchers. Cameron is a lefty, Doyle will hopefully be up soon then add Libby and our other top prospect pitchers and we don’t seem to have much from the right side. Maybe that’s a good thing?

[Ozziesfan41]

Only minor concern I have is that like lefty hitters we are loaded with lefty pitchers. Cameron is a lefty, Doyle will hopefully be up soon then add Libby and our other top prospect pitchers and we don’t seem to have much from the right side. Maybe that’s a good thing?

Could be. They could also trade the excess for positions of need

[Galatians221jb1]

Only minor concern I have is that like lefty hitters we are loaded with lefty pitchers. Cameron is a lefty, Doyle will hopefully be up soon then add Libby and our other top prospect pitchers and we don’t seem to have much from the right side. Maybe that’s a good thing?

Could be. They could also trade the excess for positions of need

I forgot that Mo is gone and we now hopefully will be able to ascertain who to trade and who to
Keep.

[renostl]

The "plus" had better be substantial.

In 2025:

Cameron - 7.42 K/9, 2.80 BB/9, 1.17 HR/9, 4.18 FIP
Liberatore - 7.24 K/9, 2.37 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, 4.03 FIP

And Cameron is actually 3 months older than Liberatore.

I'd like a lot more upside than a FV 45 guy who projects as basically a #4 SP for six years of team control.

BTV has Cameron +26 vs. Donovan +32, and if there is a bidding war for Donovan I'd expect the Cardinals to extract somewhat more than his value, not less.

Two young veterans who have gone through the growing pains from adjusting to MLB, have proven they belong, and also still have time, talent, and room for improvement seems like that good foundation you’ve been talking about, at least as far as the rotation is concerned. And we don’t have to wait 5 years for any payoff. Maybe they wouldn’t make up the front end but possibly a very solid middle.

Add Doyle and a solid veteran and that leaves just enough room for Matthews or another good prospect to break in by earning it.

Very solid points. Puts the rotation in a position
of moving forward and building vs chasing to fill spots.
If anybody takes that next step a rotation is becoming in view.

[kyace]

Sorry this sounds like more of Mo mediocrity safe move. Peripherals of a #3 starter on a bad team and 5 starter on good team.