Cardinals Reportedly Could Add Another Starting Pitcher Via Trade
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak struck first in an otherwise frozen starting pitching market this offseason.
The basic needs of the rotation were met with the additions of Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. With that said, could the Cardinals splurge and make a trade for one more impactful starter?
"(The Cardinals) have not ruled out adding another starting pitcher, though that is likely to only come through a trade," The Athletic's Katie Woo wrote Sunday.
St. Louis has Gray, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Gibson and Lynn as their projected Opening Day rotation to pair with a few depth options that will make spot starts throughout the season as needed.
While that group can chew up innings and Gray qualifies as a genuine ace -- assuming he pitches like he did for the Minnesota Twins -- the Cardinals are far from rolling into the season with a top rotation in baseball.
There are a plethora of frontline starters available that could significantly bolster the current pitching staff and the Cardinals would be wise to explore all options -- especially after back-loading Gray's contract.
The obvious one-year rental trade fits are Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Glasnow and Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber.
Chicago White Sox's Dylan Cease also remains an option, though he will cost a lot due to his peak performance in 2022 and two years of control. There is crazy hype surrounding the 27-year-old but he only posted a 97 ERA+ last year and truly only has one great season under his belt. Cease is someone that likely should be avoided on the trade market.
Burnes is an unlikely option due to the inter-division rivalry and mixed reports of his actual availability. The rest are up for grabs and should be considered by the Cardinals.
As for free-agent fits, anyone willing to sign a short-term prove-it type deal could be ideal. Former friend Michael Wacha could fit given his trend of going year-to-year, as would Clayton Kershaw if St. Louis could somehow pry him away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hyun-Jin Ryu, James Paxton and international free agent Yariel Rodriguez are names to monitor as well.
Now is not the time to sit on their laurels after the Cardinals' solid start to the offseason. The team still needs to make up serious ground after a last-place finish in the National League Central for the first time since 1990.
More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Outbid Pair Of Potential Suitors In Sonny Gray Sweepstakes
