The St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks took care of a little business on Thursday afternoon.

St. Louis cut ties with former fan favorite Lars Nootbaar ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline by dealing him to Arizona. As part of the return, the Cardinals acquired a player to be named later. On Thursday, the two sides completed the deal with 2025 third-round hurler Brian Curley coming to St. Louis, per the club.

"We have acquired RHP Brian Curley from Arizona as the Player to be Named Later to complete the August 3rd Lars Nootbaar trade," the Cardinals announced. "Curley, 23, was selected in the 3rd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Georgia and ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the [Arizona Diamondbacks'] system by Baseball America. The Richmond, Va. native made 23 starts across High-A and Double-A this season and finished with the second-most strikeouts (130) of any Arizona farmhand."

Who Is Brian Curley?

Curley is a 23-year-old righty from Virginia who was selected by the Diamondbacks in the third-round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Georgia. In his final season of college baseball, he made 17 appearances for the Bulldogs, including 10 starts, and logged a 3.55 ERA and an 85-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 66 innings of action.

He didn't make his professional debut until 2026, but that doesn't mean he isn't very intriguing already. In his first taste of pro ball, Curley made 25 total appearances, including 23 starts, across High-A and Double-A. In High-A, he had a 4.52 ERA in 69 2/3 innings pitched. In Double-A, Curley had a 6.41 ERA in 46 1/3 innings of work. Overall, he finished his first pro season with a 5.28 ERA and a 130-to-34 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 116 innings pitched.

The strikeout-to-walk ratio is what really stands out about the righty. It was his first time pitching in professional baseball. The ERA doesn't really matter as much as the stuff. Clearly, he's good on that front. Plus, he has very good command. Racking up nearly 100 more strikeouts than walks is something that would be looked at very favorably in the majors. Plus, he's just two steps away from the big leagues already.

The Cardinals opened up left field for Joshua Baez by trading Nootbaar away. That already was a positive. Now, the Cardinals have another lottery ticket in the pitching department. A good move that looks even better now.