3 new trade ideas the Cardinals could propose for Rays' Tyler Glasnow

With the St. Louis Cardinals in desperate need of front-line starting pitching, Tampa Bay Rays' right-hander Tyler Glasnow remains an appealing option for them.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported the Cardinals' heavy interest in Glasnow (subscription required) and with the number of teams who are going to be in the bidding for the top free-agent starting pitchers, the Cardinals may find Glasnow to be one of the best options that they could pursue.

Most people are well aware of Glasnow's injury history, but I'm not sure people realize how truly elite his stuff is on the mound. Out of all pitchers who threw 120 innings in 2023, Glasnow ranked first in xFIP (2.75), second in K% (33.4%), K-BB% (25.8%), and SIERA (3.08), third in FIP (2.91), and seventh in batting average against (.208). It's hard to argue against him being the most dominant pitcher in baseball when he was on the mound.

Yes, I get it, when he's on the mound is the big if with Glasnow. If you were asking me if the Cardinals should hand out a five-year mega deal to him or trade their best young bats for him, this would be a whole different conversation. But frankly, the price to acquire Glasnow appears to be insanely cheap, and I see no reason why the Cardinals should not be first in line for Glasnow's services this offseason.

First, Glasnow offers the highest upside of any starting pitcher available this offseason, aside from maybe Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Glasnow's stuff is that of a Cy Young winner, and if he can put together close to 30 starts for the first time in his career, then I have no doubt he'll be in the running for it. The Cardinals need someone of his caliber in their rotation.

Second, as I said, the cost to acquire Glasnow is going to be stupidly cheap. He's one year away from free agency, his contract is $25 million for 2024, and that injury history is real. The Rays can't ask for the moon for Glasnow, but it makes all of the sense in the world for them to let go of their often-injured ace to recoup value.

Speaking of recouping value, the third reason the Cardinals should prioritize Glasnow is centered around how easy it would be for them to recoup value from him. No matter how the 2024 season goes for Glasnow, they could attach a qualifying offer to him after the season, and if he signs elsewhere, the Cardinals will get draft pick compensation. If he accepts the qualifying offer, then they have Glasnow on a one-year, $20 million deal, which is exactly the kind of deal you would want to give to a guy like Glasnow. And if things go well in 2024 for both sides, they can always explore an extension, which would make any of these packages even more worthwhile to part with for St. Louis.

About a month ago, I put together five trade packages for Glasnow, but since the offseason has begun to unfold, I've evolved in my thinking regarding what the Cardinals would need to offer to acquire the Rays' right-hander. Here are three new deals I would send to the Rays if I were the Cardinals.

Trade #1

Cardinals receive: RHP Tyler Glasnow and $5 million

Rays receive: OF/1B Alec Burleson and RHP Sem Robberse

Let's think about this from the Rays' side of things for a moment. Shaving a large chunk of Glasnow's salary would help them fill needs that their roster has, while also getting talent in return for him. The more money the Rays are willing to eat, the better players they can get for him.

Eating money on a deal that is in large part done to free up cash seems odd, but it really isn't when you think about it. I used the $5 million figure here, but even if it's a few million more or less, the Rays can go out a sign a quality starter for their rotation with the money they did free up, while also getting solid players in return.

For example, the Rays could probably sign Eduardo Rodriguez for about $18 million a year, plus add two players like Alec Burleson and Sem Robberse, all by trading away Glasnow and freeing up that money. Or they could sign a Jack Flaherty, someone they were interested in at the trade deadline, have money left over, and these new assets in hand.

Burleson would offer the Rays a left-handed bat who should only improve with increased playing time. His contact skills helped him soar through the minor leagues, and he still has some power to unlock as well. He's not a flashy player, but he's one who will continue to grow in his ability to do damage at the plate.

If the Rays are eating money here, I think they'll need a solid prospect added on as well. Sem Robberse came over in the Jordan Hicks trade, and at just 22 years old, is already pitching in Triple-A. He's not a high-ceiling guy, but we all know the Rays tend to find ways to bring out the best in their starting pitchers.

His stuff won't blow you away, but he does have some swing and miss to his arsenal, something the Rays could help him increase in, especially if he is able to add a bit more velocity to his game.

Trade #2

Cardinals receive: RHP Tyler Glasnow

Rays receive: UTL Tommy Edman

Back in October, I had both Tommy Edman and Juan Yepez as one of my packages for Glasnow, but I think a straight swap actually makes more sense, and I could argue the Rays should eat money here as well.

The Rays, even with Wander Franco's future looking bleak, still have plenty of top prospects who are middle infielders. But having a guy like Edman in their infield can give them a stabilizing force as those guys develop, and he can also play a really solid center field for them as well. The Rays value guys who can play all over the diamond, and Edman fits that bill.

In typical Rays fashion, this is also a move toward the future, as Edman is under team control through the 2025 season. He's set to make approximately $6.5 million in arbitration this year according to MLB Trade Rumors, which is a bargain to pay for all of the things Edman can provide Tampa Bay on the field.

From the Cardinals' perspective, losing Edman would be hard, as that's putting a ton of pressure on Masyn Winn to run with the shortstop job, but I think he can handle that. Sprinkle in the face that Donovan can play there in a pinch and Thomas Saggese is knocking on the door of an MLB debut, and I think it's a risk worth taking. As for center field, Lars Nootbaar can start there every day, Dylan Carlson provides depth there, and it's likely that we see Victor Scott II take over out there in the very near future. I interviewed Scott II on my podcast the "Noot News Podcast" recently, and he seems like a guy who's ready to break out in a big way for St. Louis.

Having Edman's salary off the books in this deal means the Cardinals are only bringing in about $18.5 million in added salary in this deal, even without the Rays eating money. I do think it is possible the Rays would need to eat some of that deal to get Edman, which could make the incoming money closer to $15 million. With the Cardinals expected to have about $55 million to spend before non-tenders and trades this offseason, that leaves them with between $36.5 million and $40 million to spend on their other needs, with room for that number to grow by another $10 million to $15 million through other moves.

I'm not going to be quick to trade Edman this offseason, but I also wouldn't let him get in the way of acquiring a top-end pitcher. The goal is to keep as much of the position player talent as possible on this roster, but he is the most expendable out of their regulars from last year, and with Saggese and Scott II coming to St. Louis in the near future, I don't think they need him as badly as some make it out to seem.