Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Should Look Into Signing 34-Year-Old Two-Time All-Star

Should the Cardinals sign the two-time All-Star this winter?
Patrick McAvoy|
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-Imagn Images
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-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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It's too early to know what the St. Louis Cardinals are going to do this winter.

Most of the speculation around the team has been about players the team could trade away. It has seemed like a complete rebuild was on the way, but USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale reported that Nolan Arenado is the only expensive Cardinals veteran on the trade block.

If the Cardinals aren't going to completely rebuild, it may make sense to add another key piece or two this winter without breaking the bank. St. Louis likely won't dabble in the free agent sweepstakes of players like Blake Snell or Max Fried.

But there are other players out there that could help add to the Cardinals' rotation. St. Louis turned down Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn's options for the 2025 season leaving holes in the rotation. If the Cardinals want to try to make a run at a playoff spot in 2025, they should take a look into signing two-time All-Star Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi was mentioned as a fit on multiple occasions for the Cardinals ahead of the trade deadline. The Cardinals ended up landing Erick Fedde and Eovaldi didn't get traded. He's a free agent after logging a 3.80 ERA across 29 starts and is projected to land a two-year, $49 million deal.

That's the type of deal that could help the Cardinals in the short term without sacrificing long-term flexibility. A starting rotation featuring Eovaldi, Fedde, and Sonny Gray would be pretty good. The Cardinals have a lot of talent. Maybe rather than tearing things down completely, doing some mixture of both could help. Trading Arenado away would help fill the farm system while opening third base up for younger players. Adding a player like Eovaldi could then help St. Louis make some noise.

More MLB: Cardinals Rival Would 'Love' To Sign St. Louis Seven-Time All-Star

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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