Cardinals: St. Louis listed as potential destination for these 3 stars
By Josh Jacobs
Pablo Lopez
There were rumors circulating at the 2022 deadline that the Cardinals were in play for Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez, but the club decided to hold onto their starter for the time being.
In his 18 starts before the All-Star break, Lopez was 6-4 with an ERA of 2.86 in 104 innings of work. Since the break though, his ERA has been 6.07 in 11 starts and has not looked like his dominate self. Many believe that Lopez is suffering from a mix of fatigue and having little to play for the last few weeks. Lopez has already surpassed his career high in innings by 50 this season and the Marlins are no longer contenders for the playoffs.
The bright side of this second half is that Lopez is stretching out his arm to become the kind of pitcher who can lead a staff for a full season. St. Louis has multiple starters in their rotation who can be the second, third, or fourth best pitcher on a contender, but lack someone who can match up with other contending team’s aces. Lopez could be that guy for St. Louis.
It has been rumored since before the season that the Marlins really want a new centerfielder, making Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, or Lars Nootbaar prime candidates for a Lopez trade. Lopez will require a pretty sizeable package due to his remaining team control, but would fill one of St. Louis’ biggest holes as they look to improve for 2023.