Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis has talked trade with the Rangers

The St. Louis Cardinals could use at least one starter and there are multple names on the lowly Texas Rangers that could be perfect to snag.

The St. Louis Cardinals have begun to explore the trade market, having talked to the Minnesota Twins about their starting pitching. But the Cardinals are casting a wide net in trade talks, also reaching out to the Texas Rangers, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

While Goold did not list any names, the obvious connection here is Kyle Gibson. Gibson, of course, is likely to be the top starting pitcher available as it looks increasingly unlikely that the Washington Nationals will trade ace Max Scherzer. The other top option, Minnesota Twins pitcher Jose Berrios, is under contract for multiple seasons and the expectation is he will be incredibly expensive to acquire.

Hence why the Cardinals will ask the Rangers about Gibson. Now, he does come with risks. While he has a 1.51 ERA in 12 starts following an Opening Day clunker, he entered the season with a 4.57 career ERA. He is under contract for $8 million next season, a hefty price tag for someone with such a high career ERA, but will his strong performance to start 2021 be enough to convince teams that this pace is sustainable?

I’m not sure. But with so many teams needing starting pitching, especially the Cardinals who rank in the bottom half of the league in rotation ERA, the Rangers are likely to get a decent package for Gibson. It’s highly unlikely, however, that the Cardinals would part with infield prospect Nolan Gorman to acquire Gibson — even if such a deal would include outfielder Joey Gallo.

Another trade fit is Jordan Lyles. I previously mentioned his name earlier in the season as someone who could be a cheap alternative to fill the back-end of the rotation. While his 5.47 ERA this season is unlikely to inspire anyone, he has had success with elite catchers (see: his work with Yasmani Grandal in Milwaukee) and could be a nice value option for the Cardinals given that he would work with Yadier Molina.

Gibson and Lyles are among the many possibilities that the Cardinals will consider. But that they are already engaged in trade talks, and have also explored