5 exciting pitching prospects the Cardinals should target in their offseason trades

If the Cardinals want to add more pitching to their farm system, these five arms would be great targets.
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Mariners RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje

It's not every day you find a switch-pitcher, and the Cardinals are rumored to be interested in acquiring one from the Seattle Mariners if they agree on a Brendan Donovan trade with them.

Right-hander Jurrangelo Cijntje is Seattle's seventh-best prospect according to Baseball America in their preseason update to the Mariners' system ahead of 2026. But don't let that ranking fool you, Seattle has one of the best systems in the game, and so Cijnte will likely be a top 100 prospect despite not even being a top five prospect in the Mariners' pipeline.

In 26 games (23 starts) between High-A and Double-A, Cijntje posted a 3.99 ERA in 108.1 innings of work, striking out 120 batters while walking 51. Cijntje is clearly more dynamic from the right side, with his best pitch being the sweeping slider he throws from that side. Both of his fastballs touch 98 MPH, but his right-handed fastball sits in the mid-90s while his lefty fastball typically lags behind a bit. Even so, his fastball grades out as the best in Seattle's loaded system.

It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop as a prospect and if he ends up giving up throwing from the left side to possibly be even better from the right. MLB Pipeline has him as a 40-grade prospect as a lefty and a 55-grade prospect as a righty. It would be so cool to see him succeed as a switch pitcher, but he's going to need to refine his southpaw if that's going to happen.

If the Mariners are going to hold tight to their top two pitching prospects in Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, I just don't see how they pull off a Donovan deal without including Cijntje. Their 2024 first-round pick is a dynamic arm that would be tough to lose, but if anyone can afford to lose him, it is Seattle.

Matt Pierpont, the Cardinals' director of pitching, came over from Seattle last offseason, so if the Cardinals are targeting Cijntje, that should tell you how they feel about him. Adding an exciting ambidextrous pitcher to their system would be a great get, and even if he settles in as a right-hander only, he'd be a great add for St. Louis.

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