3 routes the Cardinals can take to save their rotation from truly imploding

Route #1: A true July makeover

The least likely of the routes, in my opinion, but if the Cardinals wanted to set their ballclub up for success in the second half, they would be open to a creative makeover for the rotation this month.

I'll detail out how this could happen, but ultimately this route would involve the Cardinals moving on from both Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas, trading for a starter who is better than them, and then relying on their internal depth to replace the other.

The Cardinals already missed the boat on trading Fedde for real value, and I'm not sure if there will be a market for him come the trade deadline. In all honesty, Fedde building some semblance of a market between now and July 31st would probably be necessary for this route to be feasible, as the Cardinals could add some pieces to their system (nothing crazy, but some kind of value) that makes it less painful to go after a "bigger" fish to replace him with.

There are a variety of arms that are expected to be available at the deadline, like Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, Zack Littell, Tyler Mahle, or Adrian Houser, who could represent a setup for St. Louis in their rotation over what both Mikolas and Fedde had provided them thus far. I already find it a bit unlikely that they'd add one veteran starter, so two seems far-fetched. But if the Cardinals could move Fedde to a team just needing innings and believe he can do that down the stretch, they could replace him with one of those names who have been pitching far better this year.

Depending on the arm they target from that list or names that are not at the very top of the market, St. Louis may have to give up some value, but we aren't talking top prospects in their system. If the right trade partner comes to fruition and the Cardinals are willing to part with some value, they could really improve the rotation.

In my head, the kind of upgrade they'd be pursuing is something like what it cost them to acquire Jose Quintana, Jordan Montgomery, or even Erick Fedde at past deadlines. A player who can make a real difference for them down the stretch, but isn't going to cost them an arm and a leg.

For Mikolas, he has a no-trade clause, and reports indicate he is not interested in waiving it. Even if he was, I don't see a market for him, so the Cardinals could release him this month and call up Michael McGreevy to replace him, and suddenly their rotation looks something like:

RHP Sonny Gray
LHP Matthew Liberatore
(Newly acquired starter via trade)
RHP Michael McGreevy
RHP Andre Pallante

This scenario still leaves them with Steven Matz as "break glass in case of emergency? depth for the rotation, along with names like Quinn Mathews, Tekoah Roby, Zach Plesac, Drew Rom, and Gordon Graceffo, if injuries occur and they need more support.

That's the most aggressive route I could see them taking, and while it's totally possible for them to do this and shouldn't be some far-fetched idea, I'm not sure I'd actually bet on them doing something like this.