Cardinals No. 6 Prospect Could Be An X-Factor For The Starting Rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation performed well during the first half of the season, but could be bolstered down the stretch.

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Despite dropping two of their first three games of the second half of the season against the Atlanta Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals still hold the final wild-card playoff spot.

It was not expected that the Cardinals would be in the thick of the playoff race at this point in the season, but they have a 51-47 record just weeks away from the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The next week or two will make all the difference in whether St. Louis is a buyer or seller at the deadline.

If the Cardinals do wind up being buyers at the trade deadline, they have one clear need to address: the starting rotation. St. Louis' rotation has performed pretty well this season, posting a 4.16 ERA, but the team could use an innings-eater to stabilize the rotation down the stretch.

The Cardinals should consider an internal option

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Whether the Cardinals buy or sell remains to be seen, but if they want to bolster their rotation, they could always turn to an internal option. St. Louis has already turned to multiple prospects to make an impact in the big leagues this season, and MLB.com's Josh Jacobs believes there could be more help on the way in pitching prospect Quinn Matthews.

"The Cardinals have already turned to prospects such as Jimmy Crooks, Blaze Jordan, Bryan Torres and Luis Gastelum for an in-season impact to the Major League roster," Jacobs wrote on Friday. "More help could soon be on the way. Outfielder Joshua Báez, MLB Pipeline’s No. 47 overall prospect and No. 3 in the Cardinals’ system, as well as the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect, left-hander Quinn Mathews, both appear to be knocking on the door.

"Mathews has struggled with his command all year, but over his last eight starts, he has posted a 1.87 ERA while striking out 32.5% of the batters he’s faced. The Cardinals' starting pitching has been really solid this year, but Mathews could be an X-factor in the second half with his swing-and-miss potential."

Across 18 starts in Triple-A this season, Mathews has a 3.39 ERA in 85 innings pitched while fanning 101 batters. The 25-year-old could be the X-factor that the Cardinals' rotation needs, especially if Dustin May continues to struggle.

Even if the Cardinals add at the trade deadline, starting pitchers will likely be going for a premium. Giving Matthews a chance at the big leagues may be the best move to bolster St. Louis' rotation.

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