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Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Had 'Strong Interest' In Coveted Hurler But Lose Bidding War To Orioles

St. Louis wanted the right-hander badly
Scott Neville|
May 26, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of a flooded Busch Stadium during a weather delay before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of a flooded Busch Stadium during a weather delay before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports | Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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St. Louis CardinalsBaltimore OriolesTampa Bay Rays

The St. Louis Cardinals have just a few days to bolster their roster in an effort to make a strong postseason push as they sit just 1/2 game back of a National League Wild Card spot.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozelaik has his sights set on bolstering the rotation ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Activity has picked up heavily as the weekend approaches -- and St. Louis has started to get more involved.

Unfortunately, for the Cardinals, they have come up short in their first public pursuit of a notable rotation upgrade.

"The Baltimore Orioles get their starter: They have acquired Tampa Bay Rays veteran starter Zach Eflin, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports. The St. Louis Cardinals had expressed strong interest in him as well," USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Friday.

Eflin has a 4.09 ERA with an 87-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .261 batting average against and a 1.16 WHIP in 110 innings across 19 starts this season.

He would have joined a Cardinals rotation that already features Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to form a formidable group at the top.

What stands out most about the pursuit of Eflin is that the Cardinals showed interest in a player with team control through 2025 at a semi-hefty price. The 30-year-old has one year, $18 million remaining on his deal after this season.

The news could indicate that St. Louis will then pursue other controllable arms such as Toronto Blue Jays' Chris Bassitt (8-9, 3.78 ERA -- owed $22 million next season) or possibly Chicago White Sox's Erick Fedde (7-3, 2.98 ERA -- owed $7.5 million next season).

The pitching carousel is starting to heat up fast and the Cardinals will want to get involved sooner rather than later.

More MLB: Cardinals Legend Adam Wainwright Compared To Rumored Trade Target

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville runs "St. Louis Cardinals On SI." The Merrimack College graduate is the publisher for a bevy of sites in the MLB and NFL landscapes after early success with "Boston Red Sox On SI" led to expansion. Before he was given the opportunity to join On SI, he was developing his skillset at one of the top regional sports networks in the United States, NESN, where he covered all sports. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: scott@moreviewsmedia.com

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