3 trade locations for St. Louis Cardinals' Steven Matz

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to field interest in left-handed pitcher Steven Matz.

Matz signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals prior to the 2022 season. The former second-round draftee has failed to pitch more than 105 innings during his time in St. Louis, and his cumulative 4.47 ERA isn't the most inspiring. He has a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings of relief, though.

$12.5 million is a hefty chunk of change for a pitcher who has thrown a total of 197.1 innings across the last three seasons. However, the recent contracts dolled out to players like Matthew Boyd -- a player with a similar track record to Matz recently -- have increased Matz's trade value. Even though he's been injured recently, he's shown himself to be a capable starter and an even better swingman.

The market for a pitcher like Steven Matz won't be shallow this winter. Teams looking to acquire a back-end starter or a veteran swingman could all be interested in Matz's services. His performance out of the bullpen, a place where he could throw multiple innings given his history as a starting pitcher, would be attractive to interested teams.

These teams could be interested in trading for left-handed pitcher Steven Matz.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants have been a team in search of a star in recent years, but their rotation could use even more help. At the end of the 2024 season, their only viable starting pitcher was Logan Webb. Jordan Hicks, Robby Ray, and Kyle Harrison are also strong candidates to nab starting spots, but their rotation depth is quite thin behind those four.

Steven Matz could be the Giants' fifth starter next year, or he could provide valuable innings in relief. The Giants had a pretty stable bullpen in 2024, as they finished 15th in staff ERA and 6th in FIP. San Francisco's relievers threw the second-most innings last year. They'll need some help in 2025. Steven Matz would be a good fit in the Bay for the Giants.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are likely set with starters, as they have Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford, and Kumar Rocker penciled into their rotation. They also have top prospect Jack Leiter who is close to being MLB-ready. This group is relatively injury-prone, so the Rangers are seeking to add assurance to a shaky rotation this winter. Enter: Steven Matz.

Matz could be a part of a worrisome rotation, or he could find a role in relief. The Rangers had the fifth-worst ERA (4.41) and FIP (4.37) among relievers last year. Matz's recent success out of the bullpen could be a welcome addition to a relief corps in desperate need of assistance.

Toronto Blue Jays

At the moment, the Toronto Blue Jays have several other problems to worry about including Juan Soto's free agency saga and whether or not to extend All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, once they get their house in order, they would be a great fit for Steven Matz.

Matz spent one year with the Blue Jays in 2021, and it was one of the best years of his career. He threw 150.2 innings, and he had a 3.82 ERA, 3.79 FIP, and an ERA+ of 117. A return to Canada could bode well for the southpaw's career.

Toronto relievers had the league's worst FIP last year, and their ERA was the second-worst in baseball. Matz could provide wonderful innings in relief for the Blue Jays in 2025. Matz would also provide some balance to a bullpen that leans heavily toward right-handed pitchers as of now.