5 Cardinals' trade targets from teams falling out of contention

LHP Tyler Anderson

Tyler Anderson was once a product of the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching lab. Once with the Dodgers, Anderson was able to refine his pitch mix and improve his stats.

After the 2022 season, Anderson signed a 3-year, $39 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The southpaw hasn't quite been able to replicate the success he had across town, but he's still been a very serviceable starting pitcher. He is allowing a lot of fly balls this year, but low exit velocities paired with a slightly better-than-league-average hard-hit percentage have limited major damage.

Anderson's offspeed pitches are his calling card, and his changeup is one of the best in the league. Batters are hitting just .189 against it, and he's been able to generate whiffs at a 38% clip. It is his best strikeout pitch.

Ever since the Angels lost the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and Mike Trout to an injury, their pillaging has seemed inevitable. The Cardinals could jump on the ship and try to pull Anderson away from Perry Minasian.

Anderson has a year and a half left on his contract, so his acquisition will limit the amount of work Mozeliak has to do this upcoming offseason to fill out a rotation. He will turn 35 over the offseason, but his experience could help if Kyle Gibson or Lance Lynn aren't granted their team options at the end of the year.