JUPITER, Fla. • About the same time the Cardinals’ scouts gathered last week in St. Louis to plot how they’ll fan out and spot the talents the team would take in this summer’s draft, they all learned they’ll have two fewer players to find, two whole rounds they’ll just watch.
“It’s a moment that could be deflating as it comes out right before they embark on this four-month sprint that for scouts is the toughest stretch of their year,” said the Cardinals director of scouting Randy Flores. “News broke about the picks we’re losing, word gets around, and almost immediately I heard from our scouts, and they were ready.