St. Louis native Mark Buehrle is on the trade market

Mark Buehrle, a St. Louis native, is on the trade market this winter.

He is signed with the Toronto Blue Jays through the end of the 2015 season when his $58 million deal expires.

It’s not a joke as to how much as been said or unsaid about wanting to pitch for his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals. A few years ago, before he went to the Miami Marlins, Cardinals fans could have seen the pitcher wearing the Birds on the Bat. However, he’s not getting any younger and the Cardinals are stacked with many young pitchers.

Nick Cafardo writes at the Boston Globe:

"Mark Buehrle, LHP, Blue Jays — Buehrle will be made available in a trade, though his $19 million contract will likely be a deterrent unless the Jays are willing to assume part of it. The Jays need to replenish their player depth and the quick-working Buehrle might be a way to do it. Buehrle seems more tradable than knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. The Jays will have youngsters Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez in their rotation to go along with J.A. Happ."

As far as the Cardinals rotation goes, a left-handed starter is not written down in stone. With Jaime Garcia never having worked out due to injury, now is the time for a Marco Gonzales, Tyler Lyons, or Kevin Siegrist to step up to the plate and work their way into the starting rotation.

What do you think, Redbird Nation? Should Mark come home or has the time passed for the opportunity to do so?