A (not-so-brief) history of in-division trades for the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals trades with the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Cardinals' trade history with the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1996 isn't very lengthy, but there is a precedent more recent than the other three teams in the division.

On July 29, 2000, the Cardinals traded Jack Wilson to the Pirates for Jason Christiansen. Wilson would make his debut with the Pirates in 2001 and go on to play for them for eight-and-a-half years. He attended the 2004 All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger that year. Wilson's best years came in 2004 and 2005 when he posted bWAR totals of 4.8 and 4.2, respectively. This was a trade that would bite the Cardinals in the butt, as Christiansen appeared in only 51 games for St. Louis, posting a 4.91 ERA in only 29.1 innings.

The Cardinals' most recent in-division trade came with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2022, the Cardinals acquired starting pitcher Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton from the Pirates for pitching prospect Johan Oviedo and corner infield prospect Malcom Nunez.

Quintana became a key cog in the Cardinals' rotation down the stretch of the 2022 season and during the postseason, as he was the starting pitcher for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Quintana went 5.1 scoreless innings but the Cardinals would eventually lose the game due to blowups by Ryan Helsley and Andre Pallante late in the game.

Johan Oviedo, when healthy, has been a useful starter for the Pirates. He has a career 4.05 across 361 innings with the Pirates to go along with an 8.3 K/9 ratio. He missed all of the 2024 season, and he pitched only 40.1 innings last year, albeit to a 3.57 ERA.

The Pirates and Cardinals could once again match up this winter with a trade. In fact, Pittsburgh probably has the most to offer the Cardinals in a trade. Their quantity and quality of high-level pitching would be appealing to the Cardinals, who seek MLB-ready pitching this winter. Brendan Donovan would be a solid candidate for the Pirates to target, but if the Cardinals want Bubba Chandler or sixth-overall pick from the 2025 MLB draft Seth Hernandez, they'll have to include more than just Brendan Donovan.