5 ways the Cardinals can acquire a starting pitcher and reliever in the same deal

Trade #2 - Tampa Bay Rays

John Denton of MLB.com reported that a source confirmed to him the Cardinals' interest in Eovadli along with Rays' starting pitcher Zach Eflin. With the Rays interested in both buying and selling at this year's deadline, I think the Cardinals would make a perfect landing spot for Eflin and a reliever like Pete Fairbanks.

Let's start with Eflin. The right-hander is under contract through the 2025 season and has been solid this year coming off what was a career year for Tampa Bay in 2023. Eflin finished sixth in Cy Young voting last season after posting a 3.50 ERA in 177.2 innings pitched but hasn't replicated that success in the same way, posting a 4.14 ERA but does have a 3.64 FIP.

Eflin strikes out even fewer people compared to Eovaldi, but he does have an elite chase rate as well and is one of the best starters in baseball at preventing walks. Eflin has a five-pitch mix that he uses to keep hitters off balance, and while he's probably more of a number three starter, at his best, he can pitch like a number two.

In a vacuum, Eflin should take less to acquire than Eovaldi would, but in order to get a reliever like Fairbanks as well, the Cardinals would have to pay up some compared to that Rangers deal. Fairbanks actually went to the University of Missouri in college, so he has that hometown connection that the Cardinals adore, and he's under contract through 2025 with a $7 million club option for 2026.

Fairbanks has been lethal for the Rays ever since he debuted, boasting a career 3.24 ERA and 32% strikeout percentage to go along with a 2.90 FIP. Fairbanks' fastball sits in the upper 90s and hits 100 MPH when needed as well, and his slider is a swing-and-miss machine as well. Adding that kind of firepower to the back of the Cardinals' bullpen for the next two and a half seasons at that cheap of a contract would be a huge get for St. Louis.

For Tampa Bay, they would be acquiring Saggese and Graceffo like Texas did, two pieces who could contribute to their big league roster in a meaningful way in the near future, but the real centerpiece for them would be catcher Ivan Herrera. Herrera has seemingly lost his role on the club, at least in the immediate future, due to Pedro Pages' emergence and his defensive ability. While Herrera is the better player and asset, the Cardinals may see him more valuable as a trade piece right now, and allow Pages to run with the backup duties.

Herrera's bat has the potential to be really good at the catcher position, and he's been really good at blocking pitches in 2024 as well. His main two issues seem to lie in his below-average framing ability and his terrible arm strength. When Herrera is behind the plate, opposing teams run wild, and he has to fix that in order to be an everyday catcher.

Tampa Bay can work with him this year and during the offseason to improve those weaknesses, and if they can, they'll have a great all-around catcher on their hands. If not, Herrera's bat still plays, they'll just need to find another spot for him.