Cardinals Listed Among Best Fits To Trade For 27-Year-Old Southpaw

If the St. Louis Cardinals decide to become buyers at the trade deadline, it's clear that they should look to add a starting pitcher.

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals' 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels could not come at a more impactful time for the team after a four-game losing streak.

With a 52-49 record, the Cardinals sit just half a game back from the final wild-card playoff spot in the National League. St. Louis' success this season has been one of the biggest surprises across the league, especially after selling off star players during the offseason.

Still, a slow start to the second half of the season led to the Cardinals falling out of the playoffs, and with less than two weeks left until the trade deadline, losing now could alter the team's plans moving forward and cause them to be sellers at the deadline.

St. Louis was planning to be in a rebuild this season, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the team stick to its initial plans if they slide in the next week or two. If the Cardinals do act as buyers at the trade deadline, their biggest need is clearly pitching. Their pitching staff has been average since the All-Star break, ranking 16th in the league with a 4.01 team ERA.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle the trade deadline

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

It would make sense for St. Louis not to make a massive deal that could impact the team's long-term plans. Even still, there are some players the Cardinals could realistically be a great match for. ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel listed St. Louis as one of the best fits to trade for 27-year-old hurler Reid Detmers.

"Detmers has the fourth-most strikeouts in the big leagues behind Misiorowski, Cristopher Sanchez and Dylan Cease, isn't walking hitters or giving up home runs, and is a metric darling on top of that," Passan and McDaniel wrote on Wednesday. "Complement all that with an additional two years of club control on top of the season and his value has skyrocketed this year, giving the Angels a genuine opportunity to start a long-needed rebuild the proper way. Of course, it's the Angels, so executives are skeptical that it will happen.

"The Angels also fired GM Perry Minasian at the end of June and replaced him with former Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, so how much leeway owner Arte Moreno will give Mozeliak to potentially deal Detmers and others with multiple years of club control remains unclear at the moment. Best fits: Cubs, Padres, A's, Mets, Cardinals, Orioles, Diamondbacks, Braves, White Sox, Rays, Nationals, Blue Jays"

Detmers has been solid this season, posting a 4.16 ERA in 114 2/3 innings pitched across 20 starts, plus he still has two years under contract. If St. Louis elects to add at the trade deadline, trading with John Mozeliak, who knows the team's farm system, could be a good fit.

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