5 starting pitching targets for St. Louis Cardinals after recent injuries

It was no secret that going into spring training that the St. Louis Cardinals were very thin in the starting rotation. Each of the projected starters (Wainwright, Flaherty, Matz, Hudson, and Mikolas) had question marks surrounding them, and the depth behind them was questionable at best. After only a few days of camp, both Alex Reyes and Jack Flaherty are having their shoulders examined, leaving the St. Louis club with even more red flags in their pitching staff.

Being in a division that is already down to a two horse race between St. Louis and Milwaukee, there is a strong argument that now more than ever, the Cardinals need to push their chips into the pot and go for it. Even with the addition of another Wild Card, banking on being “good enough” to make the playoffs is a tall task when teams like the Giants, Padres, Mets, Braves, and potential sleeper teams will also be in the mix.

Here are four candidates, both free agents and trade targets, the front office needs to strongly consider making a move for before the end of Spring Training to bolster the rotation.

Sean Manaea

The Oakland Athletics have ramped up their fire sale with the trade of Matt Olsen to the Atlanta Braves. Many around the league believe this is the first of many moves in the A’s rebuild, include a trade of Sean Manaea in the near future.

Originally drafted by the Royals, Manaea made his major league debut with the Athletics in 2016, and the A’s pitcher has been a solid starter thus far in his career. The 29-year-old lefty has a career ERA of 3.86, including a 2021 where his ERA was 3.91 across 179.1 innings of work. Like Greinke, Manaea is a dependable innings eater who keeps his club in games, and could really benefit from the Cardinals defense.

Manaea would not be cheap in a trade, but his value would not require the Cardinals to give up any of their top prospects. Adding another lefty to the rotation gives the club another kind of arm, and would really stabilize the rotation heading into the regular season.

Luis Castillo 

Another club that has been in the midst of a fire sale this offseason is the Cincinnati Reds. The club has already let go the likes of Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray, Nick Castellanos and Wade Miley. Many think Luis Castillo could be next.

Castillo has shown a ton of promise in his career up to this point, and is coming off of an up and down 2021. He finished the year with a 3.98 ERA in 187.2 innings, but his second half saw him post an ERA of 3.18. Castillo is 29 years old, meaning the club could look to keep him around long term.

Due to Castillo being in a contract year, his market value may not be as high as it had been over the last few seasons. If the club is willing to part with a package of prospects centered around one of Juan Yepez, Luken Baker, Zack Thompson, or Joshua Baez, the deal could potentially get done. The Reds may want more than that, and the Cardinals would be wise to at least investigate a trade with this division rival.

Michael Pineda

Once one of the brightest young pitchers in the game, Michael Pineda has seen a resurgence in his career since joining the Minnesota Twins.

During his time in the Twin Cities, Pineda has pitched to the tune of an ERA of 3.80 across 282 innings. Unlike the other pitchers on this list, Pineda has had a bit of an issue staying on the field, capping out at 146 innings during his 3 year stint in Minnesota. What Pineda does bring to the table though is a live arm with great stuff, who is very effective in the innings he is given.

With clubs already beginning spring training and not much of a market has materialized for him, Pineda should be able to be had on a buy low contract, something the St. Louis front office cannot overlook at this moment. Worst case scenario, Pineda joins the growing list of injured Cardinal starters. In what ever innings he can offer though, he would provide a boost to the club that needs pitching wherever it can find it.