Surging Cardinals Should Consider Reunion With $56 Million Ace

The Cardinals could afford to add some controllable talent at the trade deadline this season.

Jun 29, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) walks back to the mound after giving up a triple to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Edmundo Sosa (63) during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tough spot this season. They're stuck between contending and rebuilding and it's leaving the front office a tough decision at the trade deadline.

Should they sell their expiring contracts to net big prospect returns? Guys like Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde would likely net solid hauls. Or should they be buyers at the deadline and chase some of the better names on the market in an attempt to win the World Series this season?

The correct answer is somewhere in the middle. To see the best short term and long term results, the Cardinals should entertain the idea of selling on guys like Fedde and Helsley while looking to acquire controllable talent.

The key word there is "controllable" because the Cardinals need to get multiple years of production out of a trade target for the deal to be worth it.

With that in mind, the Cardinals could look to target a reunion with Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara.

The Marlins ace began his career with St. Louis before being moved to the Marlins. Now with a few years left on his team-friendly contract, the Marlins could look to move him.

But the massive question mark that surrounds the righty is his lack of solid production since elbow surgery.

Alcántara won the National League Cy Young award in 2022 before having a down year in 2023 and undergoing Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season. Since returning, he's been pretty bad, allowing at least four runs in six of his nine starts this season.

But his trade value may never be lower and the Cardinals could take a chance on him returning to form. If they're able to land massive prospect hauls for players like Fedde and Helsley, the team could afford to go after somebody like Alcántara with the hope that he returns to form in the next year.

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