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

The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping to bolster their roster in pursuit of a return to the postseason this year as well as make a run once they get there. Their roster needs have been clear for quite some time now, and there is a chance they address two of those in the same trade.

Last year, the Rangers bolstered their rotation and bullpen in one trade with the Cardinals, acquiring both Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton. As the trade market continues to take shape, there are multiple teams who present the Cardinals with the same scenario that they gave Texas last deadline. In fact, Katie Woo of The Athletic's bold prediction for the Cardinals at this year's deadline was that they would acquire a starter and reliever in the same move.

With that in mind, I went ahead and cooked up five different trades where I could see the Cardinals addressing their rotation and bullpen in the same deal.

Trade #1 - Texas Rangers

How ironic would it be if the Cardinals and Rangers replicated the trade they made last season? I actually think it makes a lot of sense for both sides.

Nathan Eovaldi would make for a great pairing with Sonny Gray at the top of the Cardinals' rotation. In 17 starts this year, Eovaldi has posted a 3.36 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 99 innings pitched, striking out 94 hitters in the process. While Eovaldi's strikeout numbers will not wow you, he's among the best in baseball in chase percentage and ground ball percentage, so he knows how to get hitters out effectively.

Not only has he settled in as a consistent regular-season performer over the last several years, but Eovaldi has also proven to be one of the best postseason pitchers in recent memory. In 17 postseason appearances (12 starts), Eovaldi is 9-3 with a 3.05 ERA. In 2018 and 2023 specifically (two of his three postseasons Eovaldi has pitched in), he has dominated and been one of the major reasons his team won the World Series each of those years.

Part of the appeal of Eovaldi for St. Louis is that he has a vesting option for 2025 as long as he is able to hit 300 innings pitched combined between 2023 and 2024. That $20 million option would be a bargain compared to what he could get on the open market, so St. Louis would likely be very interested in snagging him at that price. Eovaldi will need to throw 57 innings down the stretch for St. Louis in order for that option to vest, which is likely, but not guaranteed.

The Cardinals would also be getting an experienced bullpen arm in David Robertson to take some of the pressure off of Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge, and Ryan Fernandez. Robertson has mostly been the setup man for the Rangers this year but has done so at an elite level. His 3.16 ERA in 40 appearances will slot in nicely at the back of the Cardinals' bullpen, but he also does something that the Cardinals bullpen as a whole is weak at - strike batters out. Robertson's 37% strikeout percentage is among the best in baseball, and he creates groundballs at an elite level as well.

For the Rangers, they would be able to bolster a farm system that has taken a lot of hits over the last calendar year with the promotions of Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, and Josh Jung among others as well as trading away assets at this past deadline to acquire Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, Max Scherzer, and Austin Hedges. They already have familiarity with Saggese and Roby and would be getting an MLB-ready arm in Gordon Graceffo as well.

It is a high price to pay for St. Louis, but remember, Montgomery fetched the Cardinals Roby and Saggese along with John King as just a rental, so the potential for Eovaldi to be locked up for 2025 as well should make him a similar if not slightly more attractive asset as Montgomery was.

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.

Trade #4 - Detroit Tigers

I don't think it is all that likely that Jack Flaherty is brought back to St. Louis at this trade deadline, but he is the best rental starter available, and would be the perfect fit for the Cardinals.

Flaherty has been filthy this year, being among the best strikeout artirst in baseball with a 32.4% strikeout rate and 33.4% whife rate, and he is also one of the best pitchers in baseball at preventing walks as well. In 17 starts, Flaherty has a 3.13 ERA over 100.2 innings to go along with 127 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP. This is by far the best we've seen Flaherty look since the second half of the 2019 season.

I know the Flaherty experience ended poorly in the eyes of many Cardinals fans, but I do not think bringing him back to St. Louis would create major issues in the clubhouse like some seem to think. Whatever is true of that, I have to think that his experience in Baltimore to end the year and time with Detroit has helped both Flaherty and the Cardinals gain some perspective. If the Cardinals truly want a difference maker in their rotation come October, Flaherty is the guy.

Along with Flaherty in this deal is veteran left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin. While most, including myself, have had the Cardinals targeting another right-handed reliever for awhile now, there is some merit to the idea that they could bring in a lefty like Chafin with Romero's struggles. Matthew Libeartore and John King have provided quality outings from the left side all year, but it wouldn't hurt to add some insurance to that side of the bullpen either.

With the amount of interest teams will have in Flaherty at this deadline, I think the Cardinals will have to give up a significant piece like Cooper Hjerpe to get the job done, and I once again paired Saggese in this deal. This article probably makes me look like a Saggese hater, but I'm far from that. I really like Saggese and would love for the Cardinals to keep him, but for some reason, he has felt like one of the more likely prospects to go that has real value.

Detroit would be getting an upside arm and near MLB-ready bat to help their cause in 2025. I could easily see this being outbid by another contender though, so the Cardinals may need to up their offer even more to be a legit contender for Flaherty.

Trade #5 - Los Angeles Angels

Let me start by saying, I do not want the Cardinals to trade for Tyler Anderson. I already made that abundantly clear in a story recently, as I just do not think he can keep up his performance this year.

If you want my full thoughts on that, click on the story linked above. In short, Anderson just seems to be destined to regress at some point this year, and the fact that he is under contract next year as well is a con to me, not something that makes me want him even more.

Carlos Estevez, on the other hand, would be a worthy addition to this bullpen mix. The right-hander is a free agent following the season and has been excellent for the Angels this season, posing a 2.45 ERA in his 33 appearances. Estevez has a long track record of pitching in high-leverage situations, whether that is closing games or in a setup role. Estevez is also incentivized to finish the year strong to get paid in free agency, so that's never a bad motivation to have on your team.

One appeal of this combo compared to the ones above is that it would come at a significantly smaller price point. Anderson just does not carry close to the value of these other starters in my opinion, and if it honestly cost anything more than this, I'd be even more out than I already am on Anderson. With Estevez being in a contract year as well and not necessarily having crazy stuff, I doubt he will fetch a super strong package.

The Angels get here two MLB-ready or at least close to being ready arms in Adam Kloffenstein and Michael McGreevy as well as infielder Cesar Prieto, who has raised his stock this year with the offensive numbers he is putting up in Triple-A. The Angels need to keep accumulating talent for the future, and the Cardinals can afford to move on from all of those names if we are being honest.

My thoughts on these deals

If I were to rank the combinations in order of who I would want the Cardinals to acquire based on the talent they are getting in return and the package it would take to get them, I would probably rank them like this

1. Eovaldi/Robertson
2. Eflin/Fairbanks
3. Flaherty/Chafin
4. Fedde/Brebbia
5. Anderson/Estevez

It's not essential by any means that the Cardinals grab both a starter and reliever in the same deal. They can easily target one from one team and one from another. But sometimes it is just easy to try and accomplish multiple things at once, and outside of acquiring Anderson, I give my stamp of approval on the rest of them.