6 impact starting pitchers the Cardinals could trade for at an affordable price

The St. Louis Cardinals clearly need to add another starting pitcher to their rotation between now and the trade deadline. John Mozeliak's additions of Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn have worked out great so far, but they lack the rotation depth necessary to cover games when any member of their starting five is down.

The best-case scenario for the Cardinals' rotation this summer is to add another starting pitcher to their mix and then slide Steven Matz to the bullpen and their sixth starter whenever an injury occurs. Matz just has not been able to be effective enough in the rotation this year, and upgrading over him and the other depth options like Andre Pallante would be a big win.

Now, as much as I agree that the Cardinals lack a second front-line starter, I don't think this is the deadline for them to go in on one.

Instead, I think this is the year where I would actually support buying in the mid-tier market, going after a starter who can make a significant impact on their rotation while not requiring them to break the bank at all. I know it's not flashy, and I know it doesn't necessarily make them dangerous in October, but it does help them get there, and anything can happen once you make the postseason.

I'm not a "just get in" type of guy when it comes to team building, but this club is multiple moves away from being a favorite, so I'm not sure it makes sense to make that kind of splash when other clubs like the Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, Yankees, etc. will be more desperate than you.

Just too expensive: Garrett Crochet and Jesus Luzardo

I really do not see the Cardinals going after either of these high-end arms at the trade deadline. July seems to be when prices spike on pitching, as every single contender wants to add more. If the Cardinals were one of the front-runners in the National League right now, I'd say get into the sweepstakes. But with how thin the farm system is right now, I'd rather hold onto prized prospects like Tink Hence than deal them away.

Here are 6 impact starting pitchers the Cardinals could trade for at the fraction of the cost

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox

Here's my current "favorite" target for the Cardinals at this deadline, but his availability will depend a lot upon the Red Sox's placement in the standings come the end of July.

Nick Pivetta is a really interesting starting pitcher who hits free agency following this season. So far in 2024, Pivetta has posted a 3.88 ERA in nine starts for the Red Sox and has done so while posting a 29.6% strikeout rate as well. Pivetta leans heavily on his fastball/sweeper combo to get the job done against opposing hitters, but he mixes in a cutter as well against lefties and also throws a curveball and slider.

In my opinion, Pivetta would instantly be your second most talented starter on your staff from a stuff perspective, and while he would not be a true number two starter, he could play up to that for St. Louis if things go well. Gray, Pivetta, Gibson, Mikolas, and Lynn is not a fearsome group, but it is one that can propel the Cardinals to October and hold their own when they get there.

One of the really interesting things about Pivetta is his flexibility between starting and relieving. If the Cardinals were to acquire him, it would be to start for them, but they'd also know if things somehow went poorly, he has proven to be very impactful in the bullpen. If the Cardinals made the postseason, they could decide in October whether or not to have Pivetta in their rotation or as a weapon in the bullpen, perhaps as a hybrid high-leverage arm and someone who can piggyback a starter if necessary.

I also find this to be an interesting link for St. Louis considering the Chaim Bloom connections here. Bloom acquired Pivetta while he was in charge of baseball operations for Boston, so a reunion would feel on brand considering all of the arms (Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Fernandez, Riley O'Brien, and Nick Robertson) that the Cardinals acquired this offseason with Bloom connections.

The Cardinals did make a trade with the Red Sox this offseason when they sent outfielder Tyler O'Neill to Boston, so there is clearly a working relationship there that could blossom into another deal if the Red Sox sell a piece like Pivetta.

Luis Severino, Mets

Speaking of a starter on an expiring contract, Luis Severino has bounced back in a huge way in 2024 after trading the Yankees pinstripes for the orange and blue colors of the New York Mets.

After an up-and-down career in the Bronx, Severino has posted a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts so far this year, and while he has seen a significant dip in his strikeout percentage compared to his career norm, that's also been paired with an over-50 % groundball rate.

Severino's underlying metrics aren't the flashiest in the world, but he cleary knows how to get the job done. His barrel percentage and groundball percentage both rank in the 89th percentile in all of baseball, and he does boast really good fastball velocity for a guy who does not get a lot of strikeouts. Severino also has had four other seasons in his career where he's posted a 3.39 ERA or lower as a starter, so it's not like we haven't seen this side of him before.

Severino being a true rental helps bring his cost down as well, which should be appealing for St. Louis. Pitching is at a premium in July, so you'll pay more than you'd want to, but we should not be talking about any of the Cardinals' top prospects here in my opinion.

This move would also qualify as the Cardinals adding someone better than a fifth starter to fill out their rotation. With Severino in the fold, someone like Lance Lynn would slide back into that true fifth-starter role, and considering how he's pitched this season, he'd actually be much better than most fifth-starters in the league.

Cal Quantrill, Rockies

Out of the next three names, Cal Quantrill is the least exciting of them all, but if the Cardinals decided to go really inexpensive while upgrading their fifth spot in their rotation, Quantrill could be that guy.

First of all, whenever you have a guy finding as much success as Quantrill has while pitching for the Rockies, you take notice. Quantrill has posted a 3.43 ERA this year in 15 starts, but he's actually been even better on the road, posting a 3.06 ERA in nine starts.

Quantrill is a pitch-to-contact kind of guy and does so very effectively, ranking in the 65th percentile or better in hard-hit, barrel, and groundball percentage. He mostly uses his sinker and splitter against opposing hitters but will occasionally work in a cutter and curveball as well.

You may remember Quantrill from his time with Cleveland, as he came up as a pretty exciting and effective reliever, posting 2.25, 2.89, and a 3.38 ERA in consecutive seasons from 2020-2022. His xERA was always above 4.00 though, and 2023 finally caught up to him with that ERA skyrocketed all the way up to 5.24 and he ranked in the bottom 1% in baseball in K%.

Needless to say, while other names on this list would qualify as upgrades over other arms in the Cardinals rotation, this would purely be an upgrade over the spot Andre Pallante holds right now. It would make the team better and come at a bargain price, but the acquisition would be more about getting the Cardinals to October, rather than helping them succeed there.

Tyler Anderson, Angels

Tyler Anderson is a pretty funky starting pitcher when it comes to the numbers, but it's hard to argue against the success he has had for the Los Angeles Angels so far this year.

Anderson has posted a 2.58 ERA in 14 starts thus far and is doing so without boasting an elite strikeout or groundball rate. Anderson just knows how to induce weak contact, so whether they are fly balls, groundballs, or whiffs that he produces on an average basis, batters just can't seem to square the ball up on him.

To make things even weirder, Anderson's predominant pitches are his fastball, changeup, and cutter, which all range from 78 MPH to 89 MPH. He's a major throwback and a total zag in the era of high-velocity pitchers, but again, it's working out for him so far this year.

Anderson really struggled last year for the Dodgers, posting a 5.43 ERA in his 27 games, but he did find similar success in 2022 when he posted a 2.57 ERA for them in 178.2 innings. The lefty has a career 4.20 ERA, so he's pretty dependable but usually does not sustain this level of play.

Anderson is not one of my favorite targets by any means, as I just don't believe in the way that Anderson finds success on the mound.

Ryan Weathers, Marlins

The last name on this list is one I have a hard time nailing down the value of, but considering how open for business the Marlins have been, I'm sure they'll listen to offers on their young left-hander named Ryan Weathers.

While everyone's attention has been on their bigger name lefty in Jesus Luzardo, Weathers has been really good for Miami while most of the team has been drowning.

On the season, Weathers has a 3.55 ERA in 14 starts, striking out batters at a 22.5% rate while inducing groundballs 51.5% of the time. If you look at Weather's similar pitchers based on velocity and movement on Baseball Savant, you'll see names like 2021 Tarik Skubal and 2021 Robbie Ray, which shows you how promising his stuff is.

When Weathers is on, he uses his fastball, change-up, and sweeper to make opposing hitters look foolish. He's had multiple starts this year get into the double-digit strikeout range, and I think with more experience and continued development, we could see his swing-and-miss rate grow and grow.

Weather's fastball does live in the mid-90s, and his changeup and sweeper specifically are major weapons when he's feeling it. On the season, Weathers has a 39.4% whiff rate on his change-up and a whopping 55.3% whiff rate on his sweeper. All of the tools are there for Weathers to get better and better on the mound.

With how good he's been this year, the potential he still has, and being under team control through 2029, the Marlins will be in no rush to move him and would likely want a good package in return. Part of the reason I'd open these talks if I was St. Louis is because you're getting a lot of control back in this deal. Even if they had to part with a really significant prospect (not Tink Hence but one of their other valuable prizes), I don't think it will hurt as bad knowing he does not even reach arbitration for a few more seasons.