5 starting pitchers the Cardinals could trade for to rejuvenate their rotation

RHP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins

Like the Mariners, the Miami Marlins have long been connected to the Cardinals in a swap of bats for arms, and right-hander Edward Cabrera has been a frequent name in those ideations.

While Alcantara may be an odd fit in terms of the salary he carries and how bad he's been lately, Edward Cabrera is coming off arguably the best year of his career, and with two years of control remaining, could be a very interesting arm for St. Louis or other organizations to target.

In 2025, Cabrera started 26 games for the Marlins, posted a 2.53 ERA with a 25.8 K% and 1.23 WHIP. Cabrera has always had great stuff, but now he's figured out how to control it and get batters out at a high clip. Assuming Gray is gone next year, Cabrera would be the Cardinals' top starter in 2026 and could be a long-term fit for their rotation.

Just 27 years old, Cabrera mostly relies on a sinker, curveball, and change-up to get outs, with those two offspeed pitches and his slider being positive pitches in his arsenal. His sinker and four-seam fastball are very hittable, and if an organization can refine those further, he'd be even tougher to face moving forward.

While Donovan or Burleson could represent a potential swap situation, I could also see Miami being interested in a combination of a bounce-back bat like Nootbaar or Gorman on top of some nice prospect capital to get this done. Outside of 2025, Cabrera lacks the kind of production needed to really fetch a haul, but the improvements we've seen and the stuff he possesses make him a very interesting target.

While Miller makes more sense in my eyes due to the four years of team control, Cabrera may be easier to swing a deal for. My main question mark is whether or not it makes sense to target him with just two years of control remaining, barring a long-term deal getting done upon being acquired. Like all deals, it's hard to say whether or not the Cardinals should pursue him unless we know what the cost will be, but at the very least, he's someone they should be closely monitoring.