3 under-the-radar pitchers the Cardinals can target via trade

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The offseason is officially upon us, meaning we'll be seeing transactions happening very soon.

At this point, we all know what the Cardinals need to do, and that is add three starting pitchers from outside the organization. Two of them really need to be frontline guys. I'm talking about at least two of Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Jordan Montgomery.

Only then will the Cardinals have even a remote chance to compete with the best teams in the National League.

Here are three under-the-radar pitchers the Cardinals could trade for to supplement their frontline additions.

1. Bryce Miller

The Cardinals are lucky that the Mariners have so many pitching options to trade for. While I doubt Logan Gilbert will be moved, somebody like Bryce Miller might make sense as a No. 3 starter.

The 25-year-old showed some promise this year, going 8-7 with a 4.32 ERA in 25 starts. He averaged 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings as well, so he could bring some swing-and-miss to the Cardinals rotation.

If the price is right, the Cardinals should jump on the opportunity to pick up a starter via trade, and Miller would certainly be an excellent addition. He's also young and has several years of control left.

This means that the ceiling is high for somebody like Miller. He's already got experience pitching for a postseason-contending team in the Mariners, which is certainly a plus.

The Cardinals also talked with the Mariners at the deadline about pitching.

2. Bryan Woo

Speaking of trading with the Mariners for starting pitching, there is more than one arm that could make a lot of sense for the Cardinals, and that is right-hander Bryan Woo.

Woo made the jump from Double-A all the way to the Major Leagues this year, not unlike Jordan Walker. He had a strong campaign as well.

The 23-year-old went 4-5 and posted a 4.21 ERA in 18 starts. He is a big swing-and-miss guy as well, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Woo averaged 3.2 walks per nine, which isn't too big of a concern, but it's something he could cut down on next year. But like Miller, Woo is young and has several years of team control left. His rookie status is still intact, but with more experience, he could grow into a very reliable starting pitcher.

At this point, the ceiling for Woo appears to be high. Right now, he could probably qualify as a No. 3 guy on most ballclubs, including the Cardinals. But he'd be a solid supplement to the two frontline starters the Cardinals pick up this offseason.

More pitching can't hurt, and Woo has a bright future ahead of him, which at the very least could help the Cardinals out in terms of depth. That was more of an issue at the trade deadline, but it's still something the Cardinals would be able to address if they were to add Woo in a trade with the Mariners this winter.

3. Emmet Sheehan

Back in late July, when the trade deadline was still looming, rumors began to circulate that the Cardinals and Dodgers were discussing a deal revolving around Nolan Arenado.

It wasn't until John Mozeliak said that he would not be trading Arenado that fans could breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Arenado has a no-trade clause in his contract and the Cardinals don't appear to be planning to trade him anytime soon.

That obviously would not make sense, given that they plan to contend in 2024. But the Dodgers could still be a viable trading partner. Recently, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN revealed that the Dodgers were hoping to trade away some of their young pitching prospects for some potential help on the offensive side, as well as a big-name starter.

The Cardinals could help the Dodgers on the offensive side, and one pitcher in particular could be of use to them. Emmet Sheehan.

I find it unlikely that the Dodgers will be willing to trade Bobby Miller. But Sheehan could potentially be had if the Cardinals shop one or two of their young position players. It could help them clear up their outfield logjam.

Sheehan appeared in 13 games this year, starting 11 of them. In those games, he went 4-1 with a 4.92 ERA, which isn't great. However, he is still only 23 years old and does have a live arm. He averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

With a little more experience, he could prove to be a key addition to the Cardinals rotation. He's somebody who has plenty of upside and could be penciled into the 2024 rotation if acquired, serving as a potential middle-to-back-end rotation piece.

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Here are three under-the-radar pitchers the Cardinals could trade for to supplement their frontline additions.

1. Bryce Miller

2. Bryan Woo

3. Emmet Sheehan

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