Nathan Eovaldi should be the priority for the Cardinals at the deadline

On Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that the Cardinals have had prior interest in a key starting pitcher and that the interest in him could be rekindled if the Rangers decide to sell at the trade deadline. Nathan Eovaldi was with the Red Sox in 2022 when the Cardinals had an interest. A deal never materialized, and Eovaldi is now with the Rangers.

But while the Cardinals have overcome an ugly 15-24 start and surged back into contention, the defending champion Rangers have fallen on hard times. They're close in the AL West race, but slipping in the Wild Card race, and if they can't turn things around, it's only a matter of time before they decide to sell, and Eovaldi could be a name that is floated around.

On top of Goold's report, John Denton revealed that Eovaldi is somebody the Cardinals will likely target in addition to Zach Eflin and Erick Fedde. But if the Cardinals are serious about winning, Eovaldi needs to be the priority above all available starters.

Cardinals should prioritize Nathan Eovaldi at the trade deadline

Eovaldi is going to be much more expensive than a standard rental. It remains to be seen if his vesting option for 2025 will kick in. In order for that to happen, he has to reach the 300-inning threshold across 2023 and 2024. But that's not the only reason he'll be expensive.

The 34-year-old is a proven postseason pitcher who won the clinching game of the World Series last fall and helped guide the Red Sox to a championship in 2018. Next to Sonny Gray, he's somebody who can be trusted to start Game 1 or 2 of a playoff series. He's 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA in 99 innings and has fanned 94 batters in his 17 starts with Texas.

He alone could transform the Cardinals from a borderline division title contender to a World Series contender. But this is the only way the Cardinals will be able to do this. We know they're not going to go after Garrett Crochet, so Eovaldi is the next best option.

The Cardinals have made a few big splashes here and there, but never that final one to put them over the top. I think that by doing this and adding another bat, the Cardinals will be closer to that, and they would ultimately be the clear favorites to win the NL Central and could even have a chance to bypass the Wild Card round entirely.

Fedde and Eflin would both be helpful additions, but they won't put the Cardinals in the conversation for World Series contention. Only Eovaldi can do that, and that's why he needs to be the priority. The Cardinals owe the fanbase a World Series contender, especially after last year's 71-91 finish.

Eovaldi would give them the chance to stand up to the top teams in baseball, and it's time for St. Louis to finally make that final move that would put them in the mix for a World Series title.