Cardinals Connected To Promising Young Royals Starter In Trade Buzz

The Cardinals have a potential target in mind.

Jun 20, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the home plate tarp logo during the Boston Red Sox batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals enter the Winter Meetings with a lot on their plate. Chaim Bloom is going to be very busy making deals as the Cardinals rebuild rather than contend in 2026.

The Cardinals are shopping a number of players, including All-Star Brendan Donovan, who teams have shown a lot of interest in. The Kansas City Royals are one team that has been connected to him.

The Royals have a lot of young pitching that they are willing to trade, and according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there is a particular pitcher the Cardinals have been interested in.

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Cardinals Connected To Promising Royals Starter

Sep 9, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron (65) walk off the mound at the end of the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

“The Royals’ front office, for example, has expressed a willingness to trade from its depth of starters. The Cardinals have had interest before in Noah Cameron, a lefty,” Goold wrote.

Cameron was a difference maker for the Royals this past season, going 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 24 starts and filling in nicely while Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans were out with injuries.

He has several years of club control remaining and won’t be a free agent until 2032, so the Cardinals could pick up a promising young starter that they could have around for years as they try to set themselves up for the future.

Cameron is a promising young arm that could slot into the rotation almost immediately, and a trade such as this could allow the Cardinals to get the best possible return for Donovan and clear out their logjam of left-handed bats.

The Cardinals need rotation help after trading Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, so having a reliable arm like Cameron could be beneficial for them.

The Winter Meetings are going to be a very important time for Bloom and the Cardinals. They’ll be busy making deals and setting themselves up to possibly contend a few years down the road.

Cameron could be just what they’re looking for as they try to build a younger ballclub. He could give them reliable innings and be a steady presence in the rotation for years to come if they do trade for him.

It should be interesting to see where Bloom and the Cardinals land in their search for pitching help this offseason.

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