The Cardinals may have already added three starters, but it appears that they may not be done.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals remain interested in White Sox ace Dylan Cease. New White Sox General Manager Chris Getz has made it abundantly clear that he's open for business when it comes to trades.
This could mean that the Cardinals could put together a trade package for the right-hander. But what would that trade package look like? We'll examine this potential offer and determine whether or not it will suffice to get Cease in Cardinal's uniform.
Dylan Cease to the Cardinals for Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Victor Scott II
Obviously, it's going to take a huge haul for a trade to happen. I hate to break it to you, my fellow Cardinals fans, but simply trading Tyler O'Neill or Dylan Carlson won't be enough for the team to land Cease.
The White Sox are going to want a significant haul. The good news is that the Cardinals have the pieces to do it, but they're going to have to reach their "puke point."
This means shipping off some very valuable assets. One of Nolan Gorman, Tommy Edman, or Brendan Donovan will be needed to pull this off more than likely. In my opinion, Gorman is the most likely option.
The White Sox need some help in the middle of their infield. They already signed former Cardinal Paul DeJong, but still have a need at second base. Gorman could fill that role.
In the case of Burleson, trading him away clears up the logjam in the outfield a little bit. You could also potentially throw O'Neill or Carlson into the deal. They just won't be enough alone to get Cease.
Finally, the Cardinals will have to dig deep into their system and add another piece to the deal. In my opinion, that piece needs to be Victor Scott II. Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed with what he's been able to do so far, but with Walker, Edman, and Nootbaar in the outfield, there just isn't going to be a spot for him, especially if Donovan can play the outfield as well.
To me, Scott would be the icing on the cake. He's a very valuable top prospect and I think if he were included with Gorman and Burleson, the White Sox would actually accept this deal.
Let's hope John Mozeliak can make this happen and turn the Cardinals into a World Series contender once again.