Bob Nightengale

USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals kept trying to tell us they didn't want to part with their prospects, damaging their future.

Who knew they would trade away key players on their 25-man roster to damage their future.

Yes, they are going for it now, but, oh, what a hefty cost.

The Cardinals, in a stunning deal, surrendered first baseman/outfielder Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly to the Boston Red Sox for veteran starter John Lackey.

Really.

It's an absolute heist for the Red Sox.

Sure, Craig struggled this year. He has been mired in a season-long slump. Hey, it happens. But just a year ago, the Cardinals believed in this guy enough that they gave him a six-year, $33 million contract.

And now, they dump him off for a guy who may be around for only two months, as well as a pitcher who was huge during the Cardinals' World Series berth last year?

You kidding?

Sure, Lackey can help the Cardinals now. He's a big-game pitcher. He was the winning pitcher on the mound when the Red Sox won last year's World Series.

Yet, the man is 35 years old. He is 11-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 21 starts, after going 10-13 with a 3.52 ERA last year in the AL East.

And, yes, he has a unique clause in his contract with a club option for just $500,000, which he said he will honor.

The Red Sox wonderedi whether Lackey would be back for the minimum salary, and now they have a guy who hit .315 with 13 homers and 97 RBI in just 136 games in 2013, batting .454 with runners in scoring position. Craig hasn't been the same this year, struggling since suffering a serious injury to his left foot last September, hitting just .237 with seven homers and 44 RBI.

Yet, there's no reason in the world he won't bounce back.

The Red Sox also will have Kelly, 26, to replace Lackey in the rotation. He was their workhorse last year, going 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 37 games, including 15 starts. He was sidelined for nearly two months this year with a torn hamstring, going 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA, but there's no reason to believe he won't be back.

For the Cardinals, they may have hung onto their prized prospects, but man, did it come at a cost with their major-league players.

Maybe it will be worth it, if the Cardinals reach their third World Series in four years.

If they miss the playoffs, after also acquiring Justin Masterson on Wednesday from the Cleveland Indians, this deal could haunt them for years.