Cardinals Given Strong Odds To Land Intriguing Starting Pitcher In Free Agency
The St. Louis Cardinals had a disastrous season in 2023 but already seem to be much more aggressive in free agency this offseason.
St. Louis' biggest roster need is starting pitching. This is an understatement after the club won just 71 games last season and traded away Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty. Plus, Adam Wainwright officially retired at the end of the season.
The Cardinals have been floated as a landing spot for multiple top-tier free-agent starters and have been viewed as one of the most active clubs. The free agent starting pitching market is deep but will be extremely competitive. There are multiple teams in a similar spot as the Cardinals and will be willing to spend to land the top arms.
St. Louis knows this and likely will spend big. The Cardinals are seen as an intriguing landing spot and even have the second-highest odds to land Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola in free agency by DraftKings at +450. The Phillies still are the odds-on favorites to land Nola at +350, but St. Louis isn't far behind.
Nola has been mentioned as the Cardinals' top-choice starter in free agency on multiple occasions since the end of the 2023 season and it sounds like it will be going all in on him. At this point, it's too early to tell if St. Louis actually will land Nola, but it sounds like their interest is real.
The Cardinals had a solid offense in 2023 and it should still be a strength for the club next season. If the Cardinals could land someone like Nola plus another front-of-the-rotation starter, St. Louis certainly could be back in the postseason next year.
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