5 dream trade targets for the St. Louis Cardinals

As is the case with every team in baseball except perhaps the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, those teams currently in playoff contention have holes that need to be filled. The St. Louis Cardinals are no exception.

John Mozeliak made comments a few weeks ago with specific needs of the team, but I believe he is aiming too low. The team could use another high-end starting pitcher to pair with Sonny Gray at the top of the rotation, and despite several key players returning from injury soon, another right-handed bench bat would be beneficial. The Cardinals would likely boast a bench of Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Matt Carpenter, and Brandon Crawford once the lineup is at full strength. Those are a lot of one-dimensional, left-handed reserves.

The Cardinals could aim low and find fringe pieces to supplement the roster, but where's the fun in that? Rather, these dream trade candidates would move the needle drastically on the Cardinals' postseason outlook. Additionally, they won't pull much away from the farm system for a variety of reasons.

Dream candidate #1: LHP Framber Valdez

A few chips must fall in the right places for the Cardinals to land Framber Valdez, but that's what makes him a dream candidate. First, the Houston Astros must decide to be sellers. They currently sit in second place in the AL West, and they're 5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot. Things are bleak for a team that has made it to the World Series 4 out of the last 7 seasons.

Should general manager Dana Brown decide to sell, there are plenty of players who could become available. One such player is Framber Valdez. The 30-year-old has two All-Star appearances to his name in addition to three top-11 Cy Young finishes. This year, he has thrown 73.2 innings with a 3.91 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.208 WHIP, and a 100 ERA+.

Where Valdez has slipped this year is in regard to his strikeout numbers; he was once good for a strikeout an inning, but he's striking out only 6.8 batters per nine innings this year. The potential for dominance is still there, though. Valdez's 2022-2023 seasons featured him throwing nearly 400 innings with a 3.13 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 1.142 WHIP, and a 128 ERA+. Those are numbers that belong at the top of the rotation.

Valdez's career and team control -- he's a free agent after the 2025 season -- would make him costly. The Cardinals could mix major league talent with some upper-level prospects to entice the Astros.

Dream candidate #2: RHP Zach Eflin

When the Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin prior to the 2023 season, he immediately became the franchise's most expensive free agent. The 3-year, $40 million deal had him making $11 million in the first two seasons and $18 million in the final season which would be next year.

While most Cardinal fans see $18 million and think of Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright, Eflin's value far exceeds his dollar mark. The Tampa Bay Rays organization is known for trading players before they enter the final years of arbitration let alone free agents worth 8 figures.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed the Rays as probable sellers at the deadline recently; they sit just 4 games back of the Wild Card, but they are in 4th place in the American League East. This may be the year the Rays decide to trade off expiring contracts and expensive players to retool. With the bulk of their rotation on the injured list, a retool this year leading into 2025 with a restocked starting pitching staff may be their best bet.

Due to the impending return of key starters next year like Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Jeffrey Springs and Eflin's hefty salary in 2025, he could become expendable this year. The Cardinals should jump on that trade. $18 million is a sizeable chunk of change, but it would likely mean the Cardinals can stray away from using high prospects to lure Eflin away from the Rays.

Eflin, 30, has a 4.12 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and he's walked the fewest amount of batters this year in 74.1 innings. In fact, Eflin has only walked 5 batters this year out of the 310 that he's faced. He won't strike out the side often (6.9 K's per nine innings), but he won't get himself into trouble with free passes.

Zach Eflin would be a huge addition to the Cardinals' rotation for the remained of this season and next year. He would slot in nicely near Kyle Gibson and Miles Mikolas in the middle of the rotation, and he wouldn't cost much to acquire in a trade.

Dream Candidate #3: LHP Tanner Scott

The Miami Marlins will be sellers this year; that's a fact. When Peter Bendix traded offensive whiz Luis Arraez to the Padres in early May, the signs were clear that the Marlins weren't planning on contending this year or next. With that in mind, teams have begun eyeing the Fish for trade candidates.

While Jesus Luzardo may be the most obvious pick here, I'm taking a different route. Luzardo's 5.30 ERA is a career-high, and although he had two strong years in 2022 and 2023, he has lost his effectiveness on nearly all of his pitches.

Rather, the Marlins player that intrigues me most would be reliever Tanner Scott. Scott will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he's a true rental. Rental relievers, regardless of how dominant they are, rarely fetch a top-100 prospect, so the Cardinals can hold on to key guys like Victor Scott II, Tink Hence, Thomas Saggese, and Quinn Matthews. It's possible even Tekoah Roby will be spared.

Scott has thrown 32 innings in relief this year, and he has a 1.69 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and a 1.156 WHIP. His 25.8% K rate is nothing to scoff at, and there's room for growth there, as that's the lowest mark of his career. This is the second year in a row of dominance for Tanner Scott; last year, he had a 2.31 ERA and a 2.17 FIP. He's managed to generate lots of soft contact this year, and his elevated groundball rate will play well with the Cardinals' defense.

Scott can help bolster the back end of the bullpen that is lacking a lefty option outside of JoJo Romero. While Matthew Liberatore has been better out of the bullpen, he's best utilized as a swingman for multiple innings. Scott can be another late-game option for manager Oliver Marmol.

Dream candidate #4: LHP Garrett Crochet

All year, Cardinal fans have been covetous when looking at what the San Francisco Giants did with their former reliever, Jordan Hicks. The Giants did what the Cardinals couldn't do: return Hicks to his rightful spot as a starting pitcher. There's no guarantee Hicks continues to pitch the way he has once he eclipses a certain amount of innings, but for the time being, it's a masterstroke by the team.

The same can be said of the Chicago White Sox and Garrett Crochet. The Sox prepared him this past offseason to be a starting pitcher, and he hasn't let them down. He's already thrown 88.2 innings this year -- more than half of his career total. That's a bit of a concern down the road for this year. However, Crochet isn't a free agent until after the 2026 season. That gives whichever team acquires him 2.5 years of control.

What makes Crochet a true dream candidate would be his strikeout abilities. He leads the American League in strikeouts right now, and he has been sending batters back to the dugout with at a ridiculous 35.2% clip. A left-handed starter with a propensity to strike batters out is something the Cardinals haven't had since Jaime Garcia, and he pales in comparison to Crochet.

Crochet's value is the highest it will ever be right now, and there are plenty of teams with better farm systems who are in search of a top-end starting pitcher. John Mozeliak will have to bring his A-game (and top prospects) to the table when dealing for Crochet. It may be a pipe dream, but acquiring Crochet would vaunt the Cardinals into a playoff conversation they haven't been in for quite some time.