Cardinals should trade Drew Rasmussen to improve their rotation this offseason

Drew Rasmussen's career has been defined by elbow surgery after elbow surgery after elbow surgery. Despite being drafted in 2018 and playing parts of seven seasons, the two-time All-Star has only averaged 22.6 appearances per year. Rasmussen is entering his final contract year with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he's already being mentioned as a potential trade candidate. The St. Louis Cardinals should jump on that opportunity.

Rasmussen is a legitimate Cy Young candidate this year. He's thrown a career-high 160.1 innings across 28 starts with a 2.81 ERA. His 5.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best in the American League. Rasmussen has been a legitimate ace for the Rays this year.

This is his second year of dominance, and between the 2025 and 2026 season, he has a 24-10 record with a 2.78 ERA. He ranks 10th among pitchers with at least 300 innings in fWAR (7.1) in that time span.

Rasmussen is entering his final year of team control with the Rays. He has a club option for 2027 valued at $20 million due to escalators related to innings and starts this year. Tampa Bay will likely exercise that option, but they may be less willing to pay Rasmussen that sum, as it would be the largest salary commitment for them in franchise history.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed Rasmussen as a potential offseason trade candidate for this exact reason. If Rasmussen is indeed shopped this offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals should try to trade for him.

The St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Drew Rasmussen in an effort to mirror their work with Dustin May last year.

St. Louis was wildly successful this year when they signed Dustin May. The oft-injured righty agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract that was mutually beneficial. The Cardinals received three months of strong pitching from May and in turn flipped him with JoJo Romero to the Milwaukee Brewers for two high-end prospects, and May showed that he could be a reliable starter while also remaining healthy.

While the Cardinals could seek to sign another pitcher this offseason in an effort to replicate that success, they could also trade for a starter with a similar makeup.

Drew Rasmussen fits the bill of an oft-injured starter who could be flipped or extended to maximize his value.

At $20 million, Rasmussen will be comparable to a mid-level starting pitcher in free agency. That price tag is one that is often doled out to veteran pitchers with track records of success but also obvious flaws. Rasmussen's greatest flaw is his health, and he's had back-to-back excellent years now. One would be right in assuming that his last two years of work are signs of greater things to come in the near future.

If there is indeed a salary cap and salary floor installed next year following Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions, the Cardinals will need to add significant payroll to meet the floor threshold. Rasmussen's salary would fill in a large chunk of missing salary, and he would be worth it given his recent production.

Rasmussen would fit in nicely with Quinn Mathews, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Kyle Leahy next year. If the Cardinals opt to trade him, he'd be an excellent bridge starter before prospects like Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje, and others are ready for the majors next year. St. Louis could also extend Rasmussen and make him a fixture for the next several years while the Cardinals enter their ideal window of contention in 2028 and beyond.

The Tampa Bay Rays often trade players right before they get expensive. Drew Rasmussen has proven health and production these last two years, and the Rays could be looking to trade him this offseason. St. Louis should jump on the opportunity to trade for this two-time All-Star to bolster a young and budding rotation.

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