Cardinals could look to an old friend to help bolster the rotation at the trade deadline

We are still six weeks away from the August 3 trade deadline, but the St. Louis Cardinals already see their name popping up in rumors. Whether as a buyer or seller, how Chaim Bloom handles the deadline will be fun to watch. While the message continues to be about the future, MLB insider Jeff Passan listed Michael Wacha as a player that Bloom could bring in while the Cardinals are competing.

Dustin May has pitched his way into becoming a hot topic in trade talks, but if the Cardinals opt to hang onto May, an addition to the rotation would be needed to help lengthen the rotation. With May looking like a Game 1 starter if the postseason started today, who would follow him up remains unclear. Michael McGreevy has had his ups and downs, while Andre Pallante has performed like a solid starter, but neither has shown the overpowering stuff to keep an offense in check consistently.

Michael Wacha could make the Cardinals rotation stronger for a postseason push

The month of June has been kind to the Cardinals' rotation, as the staff overall has seen their strikeout stuff increase and has been pitching deeper into games. May and Pallante have helped the innings pitched tally, as the third time through the order has proved difficult for the remaining three starters. Kyle Leahy has especially struggled to work deep into games during his shift into the rotation, and a move back to the bullpen could help the entire team.

Leahy was one of the top top-performing arms for the St. Louis relief corps over the past two seasons, working as a firefighter in the bullpen and pitching seemingly every day. The bullpen has especially struggled of late, with even closer Riley O'Brien running into a wall and creating too much late-game drama. An addition to the rotation could bump Leahy back where he could provide more short-term value. With the Cardinals remaining competitive, bullpen support is needed, but acquiring at the trade deadline would come with a cost that may not make the most sense for Bloom's long-term plan.

This addition could come in the form of old friend Michael Wacha, who has put together a pretty good career since leaving St. Louis. With the Royals failing to reach expectations yet again, the nearly 35-year-old is once again performing like a solid piece of a competitive rotation. This has led to Passan pointing out Wacha as a top trade candidate this summer, with the insider pointing to the Cardinals as a potential fit for his services.

Wacha is signed through the 2027 season, so acquiring him would also lock him into a rotation spot for next year. This is the part that makes trading for Wacha more questionable. The Cardinals have solid prospects at the Triple-A level, and with the future still priority, it may be more important to get those guys some innings at the major leagues sooner than later during this rebuild. Keeping Wacha, though, would also allow for Bloom to dangle him at next year's trade deadline if the Cardinals are unable to repeat the success they have seen so far this year.

The righty is currently 4-5 with a 3.64 ERA, which would be his fifth consecutive year putting up an ERA under four. He has maintained his mediocre fastball velocity while being a workhorse over the past three seasons, sitting at 93mph, and still does a nice job of controlling the strike zone. While Wacha does not have the elite strikeout stuff that could dominate a postseason, he has the experience and poise to play under the bright October lights and co-lead the rotation this year and help in the passing of the torch in 2027.

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