Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis should consider this underrated veteran pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals should consider Matt Moore, an underrated veteran pitcher who could help bolster their bullpen depth.

The common names that St. Louis Cardinals fans mention as a potential trade target is Frankie Montas. Of course, with Montas being the best starting pitcher available, such a move would be costly. Think along the lines of one of Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman or Matthew Liberatore and more.

Which makes such a move unlikely. So who could be a realistic pitching target for the Cardinals?

One option that would make sense is veteran left-hander Matt Moore, who is having a resurgent year with the Texas Rangers. The only thing is that Moore wouldn’t help the rotation – he’s now pitching out of the bullpen – but would give the Cardinals a much-needed arm in the late innings and a major upgrade over T.J. McFarland and other southpaws in the bullpen.

In 24 appearances (35.2 innings), he has posted a 2.02 ERA and a 41/20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He would provide length out of the bullpen, too, and take some pressure off other relievers such as Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera and Giovanny Gallegos. At 33, Moore has experience pitching on contending teams. He played with the Tampa Bay Rays for six seasons before being traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2016, so joining a pennant race with the Cardinals would be nothing new for him.

Better yet, Moore wouldn’t cost the Cardinals much, and that’s what makes him so intriguing. He was a lottery ticket signing on a minor-league deal by the Rangers and has significantly outperformed the contract. It’s possible that it won’t even take a top-30 prospect, which would give president of baseball operations John Mozeliak more ammo to pursue additional bullpen upgrades or even another starting pitcher.

If last season’s trade deadline taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected with the Cardinals. J.A. Happ and Jon Lester, while not the most appealing options on the surface, contributed in a big way toward their late season postseason push. And Moore can help them do the same thing – and perhaps take them even further in 2022.