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

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.