Cardinals News: St. Louis acquires T.J. Zeuch from Blue Jays

The St. Louis Cardinals, looking for pitching, have acquired right-hander T.J. Zeuch from the Toronto Blue Jays, per source.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been scouring the market for affordable pitchers for months, having already added left-hander Wade LeBlanc and exploring other veterans such as righty Shelby Miller. But they are not done, having talks with teams around the league and also exploring the free-agent market.

The Cardinals have acquired pitcher T.J. Zeuch from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to sources. The move will become official later today, with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adding that Zeuch will report to Triple-A Memphis.

Zeuch is exactly the kind of addition the Cardinals should be making. We explored his fit with the team when the Blue Jays designated him for assignment, saying that he’s a former top prospect who could use a change of scenery. Indeed, it’s how the Cardinals view Zeuch — and while he may not pitch much, if at all, in St. Louis this season, he could impact the team in future seasons out of the rotation or bullpen.

This does not take the Cardinals out of the search for starting pitching, hardly at all. The team maintains interest in Cole Hamels and should be looking for similar pitchers to Zeuch — former highly regarded pitchers who can be had for cheap — as lottery tickets that could eventually bounce back in a new city. It remains highly unlikely that they pursue Max Scherzer, Jose Berrios or any other top starting pitchers at the deadline, with both the fit (the Cardinals are not World Series contenders) and acquisition cost not making sense at this time.

There are some with the Blue Jays who are skeptical a change of scenery will help Zeuch. But for cash considerations, it was a worthwhile gamble for the Cardinals and something that could pay dividends should he eventually reach that potential.