7 trade targets the Cardinals can acquire from the Rangers

4. Max Scherzer

Remember how we mentioned reunions earlier? Well, this one has been a long time in the making. Max Scherzer to the Cardinals has been a long-time want by the fans, desire by Scherzer himself, and haunting memory by the front office. Once drafted by the team, they have watched a Hall of Fame career take place of pure dominance for over a decade. With the chance of signing him during the 2014 offseason, now is the time to redeem yourself.

Will the Cardinals get one of the best pitchers in the game currently? No, not at all. But what they will get is one of the best pitchers of his generation who has plentiful postseason experience and can help lead this young Cardinals team through several rounds of the postseason. Management loves their veteran leadership, and this move would provide a local to St. Louis who can still be productive.

5. Jon Gray

Another depth piece that can help supplement the struggling aged pitching staff is Jon Gray. A native of nearby Oklahoma, this would not be a drastic change of scenery for Gray. He is having a good 2024 season posting a 3.96 ERA and 1.320 WHIP in 86.1 innings pitched. He is pitching very close to his career average marks in slash line metrics and advanced metrics.

The Baseball Savant Page has a mix of red and blue with nothing standing out. This would be the equivalent of trading for a first-half Kyle Gibson or Lance Lynn which does not seem exciting. But Gibson and Lynn are showing their fatigue and the Cardinals now have to look into the overpriced trade market to try and keep the rotation held together. Acquiring a younger arm with 1200 IP over nearly a decade of experience might be a wise investment if the Cardinals don't want to watch their rotation implode during the postseason push.