5 free agents-to-be the Cardinals should consider trading for at the trade deadline

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As the Trade Deadline approaches, the St. Louis Cardinals look much better than they did at the start of the season. Fans wondered what was happening and are now shaken by their drastic improvement. Rather than talk of selling off the assets and starting over again, the team looks to improve the club for a long October run.

John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, has a deadline shopping list includes adding a starting pitcher to help with the innings and bullpen help. Another key opportunity is finding a power bat to help add a boost to the lineup. Lars Nootbaar returned from the injured list this week. Tommy Edman, slated to be the Cardinals starting center fielder, is still rehabbing his right wrist after surgery and has dealt with a sprained ankle. Where Nootbaar and Edman will fit upon their return is up in the air as well. With Jordan Walker still in AAA Memphis, the Cardinals have made do with an outfield of Brendan Donovan, Michael Siani, Alec Burleson, and Dylan Carlson.

The Cardinals' current starting rotation includes Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, Kyle Gibson, and Andre Pallante. Steven Matz is on a lengthy injured list with back issues. After weeks of attempting to find an option with Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson, Pallante became the fifth starter. All starters have struggled, so adding another veteran is a good idea. The team has loads of young arms building up for their time to come with the Cardinals. It would be ideal to see them avoid ruining one of those pitchers to eat innings.

The Cardinals have been known to seek out pending free-agent pitchers in hopes of luring them to St. Louis for an extended stay. Several pending free-agent pitchers could be available at the deadline. Let's discuss some of those potential options.

Nathan Eovaldi

In 14 games started for the Rangers, Eovaldi is 5-3 with 80 strikeouts over 80 innings. Eovaldi has a 37.8-percent swing-and-miss rate with his split-finger pitch that averages 88.7 mph. He also uses a four-seam fastball, a slider, a cutter, and a curveball.

Eovaldi will likely be their rotation leader if the Rangers can make another World Series run. At 42-48 as of Sunday, the Rangers are in third place in the AL West. They are four games back of the Houston Astros and six games back of the Seattle Mariners. The Rangers have a couple of weeks to decide how they will proceed.

Eovaldi could become the top starter if the Cardinals could make the move to get him. It would allow Sonny Gray to feel less pressure after a slow start to his season, thanks to a hamstring strain at the beginning of the season. Gray has still been outstanding for the Cardinals, but he's had some notable struggles. If the Cardinals could land Eovaldi, it would greatly help the team in the quest for an October run.

Max Scherzer

Born and raised in St. Louis, it would be quite the story for Scherzer to play for the Cardinals finally.

After just making his return to the mound, he's off to a rough 1-2 start to his 2024 season. He's thrown 11 strikeouts over 16.2 innings. He's got a mix of pitches, including a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, change-up, and cutter. He induces 40-percent swing-and-miss with his slider.

Sounds like an ideal pitcher for Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake.

Scherzer has been vocal about wanting to join the Cardinals in the past. Scherzer's return to St. Louis could finally be in the cards if the Rangers look to move him at the deadline.

Jose Quintana

While he's not an ace, Quintana has proven to the Cardinals that he's a veteran leader who can take the ball and eat up innings when needed. Quintana helped the Cardinals after the trade deadline in 2022. While he was a fan favorite and loved by teammates, he didn't return to the Cardinals, opting for a deal with the New York Mets.

In 17 starts, Quintana is 3-5 with a 4.22 ERA for the Mets. He has 66 strikeouts over 89.2 innings. He has a mix of pitches, including a sinker, a four-seam fastball, a curveball, a changeup, and a slurve. He has a 29.5-percent swing-and-miss rate with a slurve pitch of 77.8 mph.

While Lance Lynn's role with the starting rotation could change at the deadline, Quintana could also be a good option for helping with long relief or piggybacking with another pitcher, such as Lynn.

Yusei Kikuchi

Kikuchi has started 18 games for the Toronto Blue Jays, garnering a dismal record of 4-8. In 94 innings pitched, he has 98 strikeouts with a 4.12 ERA. Kikuchi's pitch mix incorporates a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. His changeup has a 33.8-percent swing-and-miss rate, which averages 87.1 mph.

The Blue Jays started their season with high hopes for success but have fallen into last place in the NL East with a 41-49 record.

Kikuchi, 33, is a left-handed arm who could provide some innings down the stretch for the Cardinals.

Andrew Heaney

Heaney is another Rangers pitcher who could be available at the trade deadline. Another left-handed arm, Heaney's 3-9 over 17 games started for the Rangers. He has 92 strikeouts over 90 innings. Heaney throws a four-seam fastball, a slider, a changeup, a curveball, and a cutter. The slider has a 38-percent swing-and-miss rate, averaging 81.9 mph.

The Cardinals need a left-handed pitcher with some good swing-and-miss stuff to get the team through the long summer days as they strive to be ready for an October run at the playoffs. Heaney would be a good veteran addition to the Cardinals.

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