Cardinals Emerge as Surprise Option for Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that needs more pitching if they really want to make a run this season.

While this is the case, the Cardinals are just two games over .500 with just over one week to go until the trade deadline. The Cardinals are also in the first year of a reset under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, so it would be very surprising to see the club go out and make a splash to add a piece that could make a legit impact on the starting rotation.

The whole point of the offseason was adding prospects by trading veterans away. If the Cardinals turned around and did the opposite now, it would be a bit backwards.

On Thursday, The Athletic's Jim Bowden raised some eyebrows, though. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Toronto Blue Jays star Kevin Gausman can decline a trade to eight teams: Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Seattle Mariners. Bowden followed up on Thursday and reported that the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves are the most likely landing spots for Gausman.

Kevin Gausman Could Be On The Move

Jul 21, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"That leaves Cubs, Cardinals, Padres and Braves as most likely landing spots if traded," Bowden wrote.

On paper, Gausman would really help the Cardinals' rotation. He's a two-time All-Star with a 3.85 career ERA in 382 total big league appearances in 14 years. He isn't having his best season right now and has a 4.51 ERA in 21 starts. But he still would be an upgrade for the Cardinals, especially if they moved Matthew Liberatore to the bullpen as a result.

But this idea doesn't make a lot of sense for where the Cardinals currently stand. Gausman is a rental and will be a free agent after the season. Chaim Bloom has specifically thrown some cold water on the idea of rentals. So, that's the first strike against Gausman here.

St. Louis' current position in the standings is another knock. The Cardinals are in fourth place in the National League Central and are 1 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot. Even if the Cardinals were to go out and land Gausman, there's no guarantee that the Cardinals would land a playoff spot. This makes the idea of trading prospects away hard to believe, especially when the entire offseason was spent stockpiling the farm system.

Right now, it seems more likely that the Cardinals will offload a few pieces and add more prospects, not stretch themselves for a rental. That's one of the reasons why the Cardinals were in the position they were in, needing to improve the farm system in general.

It's interesting to see Bowden mention the Cardinals for Gausman, but this doesn't feel very likely.

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