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

LHP Mackenzie Gore, Washington Nationals

Last on this list is one of the players who came over to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade: left-handed pitcher Mackenzie Gore.

Gore was excellent for the Nationals during the first half of the 2025 season, posting a 3.02 ERA with 138 strikeouts in just 110.1 innings of work. Opposing hitters managed just a .290 wOBA off of him during that stretch. The second half was not nearly as kind to Gore, as his ERA ballooned up to 6.75 and he struck out just 47 batters in those 49.1 innings of work. Command issues and changes to his arsenal caught up to Gore in the second half, and it would be fair for front offices to wonder what his future entails.

But at just 26 years old with the kind of stuff that Gore boasts, he is going to fetch a haul on the trade market, and with two years of control remaining, any team acquiring Gore is going to have to debate whether or not he's worth that package, especially since an extension is unlikely with his agent being Scott Boras.

Gore would be an excellent get for the Cardinals' rotation, but I personally don't see how he fits into their timeline, considering what it would take to acquire him. Gore will likely hit free agency following the 2027 season, meaning the Cardinals would be paying a premium in terms of assets to acquire an arm who is likely gone, barring a massive deal in free agency, once they are ready to contend.

Perhaps the price for Gore wouldn't be as bad as I think it could be right now with other top starters available in trades this offseason, but I doubt it. I don't really see the Cardinals offering the kind of prospect capital necessary to acquire Gore, and if they were to move pieces from their big league roster, my guess is that Burleson or Ivan Herrera would have to be at the center of that.

If Gore had a few more years of control, he would make a lot of sense, but I do think the Gore that the Nationals traded for back in 2022 would be the kind of arm I'd most like to see them try and target this winter. Gore was an extremely valuable piece back then, but had yet to actually prove he could be a top-end starter. It has taken him time to develop, but now he's blossoming into a difference maker, and that would fit the kind of timeline that St. Louis is on.