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

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.