Cardinals should take advantage of Dodgers' pitching surplus following Roki Sasaki signing

The Los Angeles Dodgers are officially the winners of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. After weeks of reports and rumors that the Japanese pitching phenom would be open to signing with a mid-market team in a smaller media environment, the right-handed Sasaki chose to go to Major League Baseball's behemoth.

This isn't a surprise; the Dodgers have always been a front-runner for Roki Sasaki ever since he announced he would be coming to the United States to play. After having signed two other Japanese players in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, it was almost a guarantee that Sasaki would join his countrymen to build one of the most formidable starting rotations in baseball.

In addition to Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki, the Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow, another acquisition by Los Angeles last year, and Blake Snell, their other major free agent from this offseason. Altogether, those five pitchers have accumulated six All-Star Games, two Cy Young Awards, and two Most Valuable Player trophies. However, their rotation goes much deeper than these five superb pitchers.

Behind them, the Dodgers boast Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller, Landon Knack, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery. Los Angeles is also the presumptive front-runner to re-sign three-time Cy Young award winner and long-time Dodger Clayton Kershaw once again.

This would give them 12 viable starting pitchers on their roster. Most other clubs' top five starters would struggle to match up against the Dodgers' 6-10 starters.

The St. Louis Cardinals could take advantage of the Dodgers' surplus of starting pitchers.

The Cardinals are looking to get younger this year while also cutting payroll. They could use players of any kind, but adding pitching depth could be very important to the health of both the farm system and the organization. Luckily, the Dodgers have pitching in spades.

St. Louis could target any one of the Dodgers' young pitchers in a trade, and it probably won't be a problem for the Dodgers financially to take on some salary.

All winter, rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers and Nolan Arenado have been swirling. If the Cardinals could send some money over in a deal with Arenado, they could land one of the Dodgers' depth pitchers. Let me be clear by saying that I'm not here to propose legitimate trade ideas. I'm just seeing the viability of each "extra" pitcher that the Dodgers have on their roster.

Dustin May is coming off an esophageal surgery that kept him out for the entirety of 2024, and he's a free agent after this year. He won't be a target of the Cardinals.

River Ryan strained his UCL in August, and he'll be out for most if not all of 2025. He also turns 27 in August. He's been injured multiple times as a prospect, and the Cardinals will surely want to stay away from that despite his strong numbers as a minor leaguer.

Emmet Sheehan underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2024, so he, too, is looking at a return later in 2025. Sheehan recently turned 25, and he's had reasonable success in limited time in the majors. His full control paired with his former standing as a top prospect would make him a costly get.

Gavin Stone is also out for all of 2025 following a shoulder surgery. Stone, 26, had a 3.53 ERA in 140.1 innings last year. The Cardinals would be trading for him in hopes of seeing him flourish in 2026 and beyond. Stone is a native of northern Arkansas, so he's essentially a local Missourian.

The final player on the Dodgers' second string of starters is Bobby Miller. Miller had a stellar rookie season in which he threw 124.1 innings with a 3.76 ERA and 119 strikeouts. His showing last year wasn't as inspirational, though. He had an astronomical 8.52 ERA in only 56 innings in 2024. His value has fallen tremendously due to this showing. Bobby Miller could feasibly be had in the right package for a player like Nolan Arenado. He would be excellent young depth for the Cardinals stated "reset".

With the signing of Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers now boast one of the deepest rotations in baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals should reach out to the Dodgers to see if they can pilfer a starter for a position player.