6 trade proposals to save the St. Louis Cardinals' offseason

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The St. Louis Cardinals have been quiet after acquiring three starters in November, but they should still be players in the trade market. After all, the team is still significantly behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. A bullpen arm or two is necessary to compete next year, and a sixth starter would be great as well. Redbird Rants site expert Josh Jacobs and contributor Sandy McMillan broke down six potential trade packages to bolster the Cardinals' pitching staff into 2024 on the latest episode of the Noot News Podcast. Check out the full discourse here:

Could these trade packages save the Cardinals' offseason thrusting them into World Series contention?

Cardinals acquire Dylan Cease, White Sox acquire Thomas Saggese, Tekoah Roby, Alec Burleson, and Gordon Graceffo

Dylan Cease is probably the most desirable arm on the market. And, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Cease's market is heating up and the Cardinals are amongst the teams "possibly" involved along with the Red Sox and the Dodgers. Other teams that were in play such as the Reds and the Braves have tapped out and gone in other directions, so it's possible the White Sox's asking price was initially very high.

The Cardinals would likely have been asked to part with Nolan Gorman or Brendan Donovan initially, but with many potential suitors out of the market, the price is probably lower than it was before. A package of Saggese and Roby, which is what was what the Cardinals got for half a season of Jordan Montgomery, in addition to two high-upside players in Burleson and Graceffo would be a good starting point.

Parting with Donovan or Gorman this offseason for Dylan Cease on top of more prospects is too high a price to pay this offseason. If the White Sox demand one of the two, it may be better to wait until the Trade Deadline where Cease will cost less in prospect capital.

Next, we have two trade packages for the Marlins' Jesus Luzardo. One involves parting with Tommy Edman and more prospect capital, and the other involves parting with Major League-ready infield talent to bolster their rotation.

Cardinals acquire Jesus Luzardo and Dane Meyers, Marlins acquire, Tommy Edman, Thomas Saggese, Tink Hence, and Sem Robberse

While not giving up Nolan Gorman, this package requires many high-upside prospects who could become future MLB stars one day. Parting with Tommy Edman would give the Cardinals more salary to target relievers with on the free agent market while giving the Marlins some much-needed defensive flexibility at either second base, shortstop, or center field. The Marlins' elite pitching development could help Tink Hence and Sem Robberse reach their ceilings, and Thomas Saggese provides a promising young bat that Miami is sorely lacking.

This trade follows a similar framework to one reportedly offered to the Royals involving young first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. While Pasquantino has reached the Major Leagues already, he profiles similarly to Saggese who has a higher upside though unproven. However, it's possible the Marlins demand an MLB-ready bat leading to the following trade proposal.

Cardinals acquire Jesus Luzardo, Marlins acquire Nolan Gorman and Zack Thompson

This is the only trade package we've constructed that would involve parting with Nolan Gorman or Brendan Donovan. Unlike other starters on the trade market, Luzardo has considerably more control, so parting with Gorman won't hurt as much. Also, with Goman added to the package, the Cardinals won't need to part with many more prospects. Zack Thompson could fill a hole in either Miami's rotation or bullpen left by Luzardo's absence.

The Marlins have failed to develop good hitters in recent years, and Gorman would significantly bolster a lineup largely devoid of power. Adding a high-upside power bat at a premium defensive position such as second base would greatly help boost them into contention. Of all the free-agent pitchers with several years of control, we were most willing to part with Gorman to get Luzardo because of his extremely high upside as a Cy Young-caliber starter. After failing to put it together in Oakland, Luzardo has shown flashes of this greatness in Miami that would hopefully continue to improve in St. Louis.

Cardinals acquire Max Meyer, Marlins acquire Tommy Edman and Sem Robberse

Okay, so this isn't the flashiest name and surely won't thrust the Cardinals into contention, but it's a potential buy-low option with significant promise. After being selected by the Marlins in the first round of the 2020 draft, Meyer flourished in the Minor Leagues earning a spot in the 2021 All-Star Futures Game. Unfortunately, elbow injuries resulting in Tommy John surgery have derailed his career to this point.

Meyer wasn't quite the same after returning from Tommy John surgery in 2023, but at age 24 he could still bounce back and find success quite easily. He made a very brief appearance in the Majors in 2023, allowing 5 earned runs through 6 innings pitched across two outings, but it's still too early to tell how Meyer will fare at the Major League level.

This move wouldn't guarantee a fix to the Cardinals' rotation by any means, as Meyer would profile as the fifth starter or a swingman, but if he lives up to his potential as a once highly touted pitching prospect, he could elevate the rotation to the next level with a much needed cost-controlled option. Moreover, by parting with Tommy Edman who will provide some greatly needed security to the Marlins' defense and lineup, the Cardinals will increase payroll flexibility to add to the bullpen and rotation if they choose.

Miami has such a wealth of pitching that it's unlikely Meyer would fit into their long-term plans given his injury history. By swapping him for a younger Sem Robberse and a platinum glove caliber defender at multiple positions, both teams should win in this trade scenario.

Cardinals acquire Kenley Jansen and $8 million in cash, Red Sox acquire Richie Palacios

Here's the lone bullpen addition on this list. The Cardinals need to add a high-leverage arm or two to the backend of the bullpen, and Jansen would be a great veteran option. Sure, Jansen isn't quite the same pitcher as he was in his prime with the Dodgers, but he's still very serviceable and adds a much-needed veteran voice to a young reliever core. Of course, this move alone won't save the Cardinals' offseason, but would certainly make it easier to win the NL Central crown.

His second half was a bit concerning in 2023, but the Red Sox fell out of contention rather quickly following the All-Star Break, potentially leading to Jansen's struggles. In 2022, he notched 54 saves leading the National League with the Braves and recording an electric 12.0 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Jansen's contract is rather hefty, so the Red Sox would need to eat part of the salary to receive any meaningful return. By retaining $8 million of Jansen's salary, the Red Sox would receive yet another Cardinals outfielder in Richie Palacios.

Palacios played exceptionally in 2023 given limited playing time. His defense was great, and he recorded a 120 OPS+ through 102 plate appearances. However, with an outfield logjam with Walker, Nootbaar, Donovan, Burleson, Carlson, and Victor Scott II waiting to be called up, Palacios may not get the playing time he deserves in 2024. He also may be the perfect sell-high candidate for the Cardinals, especially as the Red Sox search for outfield depth.

Cardinals acquire Shane McClanahan, Rays receive Tink Hence, Thomas Saggese, Alec Burleson, and Zack Thompson

Here's a completely bold trade idea that might not even be possible. However, Shane McClanahan might be the perfect buy-low candidate for the Cardinals this offseason. After undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of August 2023, McClanahan won't pitch much if at all in the 2024 regular season, so this move will be purely for the Cardinals' benefit in the Postseason.

The Rays have shown little if any interest in trading Shane McClanahan so far, but given the cost-efficient way they operate, committing around 4 million in arbitration payroll to McClanahan next season only for him to miss most of the season might not be beneficial to them. Parting with their ace when he has four more years of control in exchange for top-end Cardinals prospects could help propel them back into contention in a highly competitive AL East after a reset year in 2024.

The above package proposed includes two pitchers with plus-stuff in Tink Hence and Zack Thompson that the Rays would probably highly covet. Their pitching lab would bring out the best in Hence and Thompson, utilizing them to their maximum strength. Burleson is also a great Major League-ready bat with tools to contribute to the Rays' lineup, and Thomas Saggese could fill a hole at shortstop left by Wander Franco.

Ultimately, this trade would be a long shot, as the Rays could wait to move McClanahan and ask for better packages from other teams such as the Dodgers, but if the Cardinals can strike first as they did with Goldschmidt and Arenado, they could land McClanahan early for a Postseason run in 2024 and beyond.

Cardinals acquire Alek Manoah and Clayton Beeter, Blue Jays receive Sean Boyle, Richie Palacios, and Zack Thompson, Yankees receive Dylan Carlson and Luken Baker

For our final trade proposal, let's get crazy with a three-team trade. Alek Manoah is viewed by many as the perfect buy-low bounce-back candidate for 2024. After reported tension between Manoah and the Blue Jays organization, it's likely Toronto will try to move on from their once Cy-Young caliber starting pitcher.

With added veteran presence to anchor the rotation, the Cardinals and Manoah may be a perfect fit. After apparent leadership issues in Toronto, Manoah struggled greatly with the Blue Jays following a Cy Young finalist season in 2022 leading to an unceremonious demotion to the Florida Complex League. With the additions of Lynn, Gibson, and Gray, Manoah may find it easier to make adjustments with veteran arms leading the way.

The Cardinals would also add Clayton Beeter from the Yankees, a depth option for now, but one with promising upside to secure a rotation spot beyond 2024. The Yankees in turn would receive Dylan Carlson and Luken Baker. After an extremely poor offensive season and missing the Postseason, the Yankees will try to turn it around with the addition of Juan Soto. However, Carlson should provide defensive certainty in the late innings, and Baker would lengthen the lineup as a powerful bench bat.

For the Blue Jays return package, Richie Palacios would provide much-needed outfield depth for Toronto following an excellent performance in 2023, while Zack Thompson could either slot into the rotation or the bullpen as a high-upside swingman. Sean Boyle also adds to their pitching depth as an older but still intriguing option who struggled last season following injuries.

Ultimately, all three teams fill their needs in this trade. The Cardinals get a starter who may bounce back in a big way to anchor their rotation behind Sonny Gray, the Blue Jays get a solid return for Manoah and add to their pitching and outfield depth, and the Yankees add a powerful bench bat while securing their poor outfield defense for the late innings.

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