5 pitchers that the Cardinals would be making a massive mistake trading for

Paul Blackburn

While it may be less likely that Paul Blackburn is moved as he is still making rehab starts on his way back from a foot injury, the Cardinals should just write off all interest, even if Blackburn appears to be healthy upon his return.

A few years ago, Blackburn was a sneaky trade candidate for the Cardinals and other teams around the league who would want a middle or back-end of the rotation starter with team control. But given the state of the Cardinals' rotation right now, I really do not see why Blackburn makes sense to add to their mix, nor why they'd pay up to get a pitcher of his profile with control.

Blackburn has a lot of the same issues that Anderson has, but there are some more redeeming parts of his profile. While his basic numbers are far worse than Anderson's this year, posting a 4.11 ERA in eight starts, Blackburn does create a lot of ground balls along with his weak contact, and he won't cost the Cardinals much in terms of dollars until he hits free agency after the 2025 season.

Here's my thing, when Blackburn first started seeing his name in trade rumors back in 2022, there was some hope that he could continue to develop as a really good groundball pitcher, but he's never really posted anything above what a number four or number five starter would produce throughout his career. If the Cardinals are going to acquire a starter for the backend of their rotation, then they should be targeting a rental arm.

I'm not trying to act like it would take a haul to get Blackburn from Oakland, but I just do not see the point in paying whatever the premium is they'd want. The Cardinals eyes should be focused on impact starters, not low-ceiling names with control.