1 player from every playoff team that the Cardinals should target this off-season

The Cardinals will be keeping a close eye on the starting pitching market this winter, and some of the players they should target will be pitching for their current respective teams in the 2023 postseason.
Minnesota Twins v St. Louis Cardinals
Minnesota Twins v St. Louis Cardinals / Joe Puetz/GettyImages
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu

The biggest name that'll hit the market from Toronto will be Matt Chapman, but Ryu is the only starter so far that's set for free agency with the Jays, he's not perfect but it could be a good fit.

Ryu is in the final season of a 4-year, $80 million deal that he signed with the Blue Jays in 2020, unfortunately for him and for Toronto he has only made 60 starts in those 4 years, including just 17 since 2022 due to injuries. So why would the Cardinals pursue Ryu? He was a finalist for the NL and AL Cy Young in 2019 and 2020 with the Dodgers and Blue Jays respectively, and he's shown to be a strike-throwing ground ball pitcher when healthy.

With Ryu's age (37) and recent injury history, he won't get anything close to 20 million a year like he did the last time he was a free agent. But the Cardinals, along with signing other free agent pitchers, could see Ryu as a 5th starter who they could get cheap on a one or two-year deal as a "bridge" until prospects like Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo, or Tink Hence are ready to come up to the big leagues.