4 things I want from the Cardinals for Christmas to improve this offseason

Merry Christmas Cardinals nation! Hopefully, everybody is enjoying the holiday season with their families for the season of giving. Christmas and New Year's are typically a period of quiet in the free agent and trade market, so we aren't likely to see many moves happen until after the holidays are over. Afterward, however, the Cardinals must make more moves to improve before the 2024 season. Here are four things I want Santa Mozeliak to leave for Cardinals fans under the tree this Christmas:

4 - I want the Cardinals to add two relievers

The Cardinals had a huge starting pitching issue in 2023. Despite claiming to have six starting pitchers, John Mozeliak did not build a starting staff for the regular season. However, the bullpen was often an overlooked problem. Before the Trade Deadline, the Cardinals were on pace to break the single-season blown saves record before selling off many key components. After the Deadline, the blown saves slowed not because the bullpen improved, but because the team got worse and had fewer leads to relinquish.

Sure, the current bullpen would perform fine when healthy with Helsley, Romero, and Gallegos used in high leverage, but the Cardinals would benefit by having more certainty and adding two mid or high-leverage relievers. They missed on one of their primary targets, Yuki Matsui, who signed with the San Diego Padres for 4 years, $21 million, but there are still plenty of other backend options they can target.

It was falsely rumored that the Cardinals were nearing a deal with former Astros reliever Phil Maton, but the fit for Maton in St. Louis makes a lot of sense. Assuming health, the Cardinals have the 9th inning covered, so they don't need to spend too big on the bullpen. Despite being linked to top arms such as Josh Hader, it's extremely unlikely the Cardinals will pay that much for relievers. Ryan Helsley is also a perfectly capable All-Star caliber closer that the Cardinals don't need to replace. The relievers that I want for Christmas are on the cheaper end, like Phil Maton, Jordan Hicks, Woo-Suk Go, and Hector Neris.

3 - I want the Cardinals to keep Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan

Many of the next items on my Christmas wishlist will likely involve the Cardinals making trades to upgrade the team. However, there are two players who have been thrown around in trade talks that I don't want the Cardinals parting with if they don't have to: Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan.

Nolan Gorman's prolific power at second base speaks for itself. Had he stayed healthy in 2023, he almost certainly would've reached the 30-home run mark and possibly even approached 40. The power he possesses from the left side is extremely rare and extremely valuable. Moreover, the Cardinals have been burned too many times by giving up on young and talented bats too early. Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia never had much time to prove themselves at the Major League level before blossoming into ALCS MVP winners on other teams. Gorman, however, has proven himself to be a key contributor for the Cardinals next year, and giving up on them would be a more obvious mistake than Garcia or Arozarena ever were.

Brendan Donovan is the other player coveted by many teams in the trade market. While none of his tools are quite as strong as Gorman's power, his ability to play almost every position well, hitting for a high average, and elite plate discipline make him extremely valuable as well. Donovan seemingly robbed his teammate Tommy Edman of the utility Gold Glove award in 2022, but his positioning as the ultimate utility player makes his defense arguably more valuable than Edman's. If the Cardinals had to part with one of Gorman or Donovan however, I would choose Donovan simply because none of his individual tools aren't unique and are thus replaceable, but Donvan's versatility makes it hard to part with him.

If the Cardinals want to bolster the rotation or bullpen via trade, they should avoid trading either Gorman or Donovan but rather unproven prospects. Of course, that's easier said than done, as other teams will covet the two infielders more than any prospects, but I hope Santa Mozeliak can work some Christmas magic and improve the pitching while keeping both Gorman and Donovan.

1 - I want the Cardinals to add a frontline starting pitcher

Wouldn't it just be poetic for the Cardinals to enter the 2024 season saying "We have six starting pitchers" but to this time actually have the rotation to back that up? The current starting rotation as constructed with Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Kyle Gibson, Steven Matz, and Lance Lynn is fine. It'll probably sustain the Cardinals to at least be in the playoff hunt. But it's certainly not enough to compete with the Dodgers and Braves in the playoffs. If the Cardinals want to get serious about becoming a World Series contender, they'll have to add another starting pitcher, one that is at least better than Miles Mikolas.

With Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing with the Dodgers, the best option for the Cardinals is now off the table, but the trade market for pitching has yet to heat up. Aside from Tyler Glasnow, most of the top-end starting pitchers are still available. Highly coveted trade chips Dylan Cease, Jesus Luzardo, and Corbin Burnes are still with their original teams. Of course, I don't expect the Cardinals to land Burnes, as swinging a blockbuster deal with the division rival Brewers is highly unlikely, but there are still plenty of other options they can target. Logan Gilbert, Patrick Sandoval, Tarik Skubal, and Reid Detmers are all options that would probably cost less than Dylan Cease and would elevate the Cardinals' rotation tremendously.

The Cardinals could also sign another free-agent pitcher. Though unlikely, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Shota Imanaga, and Marcus Stroman would all be solid options for the final rotation spot. I doubt the Cardinals will stretch the payroll to add one of these names, but a trade of Tommy Edman or Steven Matz could lighten the load to make one of these signings possible.

Please, Santa Mo, make my wishes and the wishes of many other Cardinals fans true this Christmas. We've endured enough as a fanbase with the 2023 season, we truly deserve these gifts this year.