The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly interested in these 3 starting pitchers

Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners

The first name that Goold mentioned is one that I had identified this week as someone the Cardinals should target this deadline - Logan Gilbert.

The Cardinals and Mariners have been linked together for a few weeks now in trade rumors. Gilbert is the most established out of the Mariners' arms that are potentially available, but as Goold stated, it's unclear what kind of return the Mariners would want for him.

Gilbert, 26, is in his third big league season and is currently 7-5 with a 3.66 ERA with 106 SO in 108.1 innings pitched. Gilbert was a top prospect in all of baseball a few years ago and really broke out in 2021 with a 13-6 record and 3.20 ERA in 185.2 innings. Gilbert is not a strikeout machine by any means, but he has a lot more strikeout stuff than the Cardinals have right now.

He is also under team control through the 2027 season, meaning he will cost the Cardinals very little for the majority of this stretch of time. The Cardinals need at least three starters for their rotation next year, and if they want to be able to fill it with significant arms, a few of those will need to be cost-controlled, like Gilbert.

Acquiring Gilbert would likely take one of Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman or possibly Dylan Carlson as the headliner. Goold already stated that Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar are not available alongside Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

I would still keep an eye on names like Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller from Seattle. Both made their Major League debuts for Seattle this year and if Gilbert is not available like George Kirby, then those two could be an option.

Clayton Beeter, New York Yankees

If you watched the MLB Futures Game this year, you will have already been introduced to the number thirteen prospect in the Yankees system, Clayton Beeter.

Beeter, 24, was identified as a fit for St. Louis according to one of Goold's sources. In 14 starts across Double-A and Triple-A this year, Beeter has a 2.64 ERA with 83 SO in just 71.2 innings pitched. In 2022, Beeter struck out 15.1 batters per nine innings, the highest among Minor League starters who threw 77 or more innings.

There are a few concerns with Beeter. First, there are some concerns about his ability to be a starter long-term, as some scouts believe he may need to transition to the bullpen at some point. The Yankees seem pretty confident in him as a starter though, and apparently the Cardinals do too. Second, he has struggled since being promoted to Triple-A, but he's only made two starts thus far after posting a 2.08 ERA in Double-A.

Beeter does not have a Major League track record, but his stuff is legit. Goold wrote that the Yankees are looking for outfielder help and short-term pitching, so names like Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, Tommy Edman, Jordan Montgomery, and Jack Flaherty could all be potential fits here in a Beeter trade.

Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox

As I said earlier, all three of these options are very different from one another, but all three have the potential to help the Cardinals in 2024, including a reunion with Lance Lynn.

Lynn has an $18 million club option for 2023, which makes him a really interesting starter to look at for 2024.

Let's start by saying I do not think the Cardinals would view Lynn as their best pitching option to bring in for 2024. Remember, they need three arms minimum if not four. Lynn would likely come at a very low-cost trade asset-wise, and the $18 million figure is nothing crazy for a one-year deal.

While Lynn's performance has been rough this year, going 5-8 with a 6.03 ERA, he does have 127 SO in just 103 innings pitched. Lynn's strikeout stuff is still there, meaning there is potential for him to turn things around.

I'm not advocating for this move, but just take a moment to look at the reasoning with me. The Cardinals are going to need to take a risk on at least one starter this offseason that may not have been great in 2023 but has the stuff to be better in 2024. They can do that in free agency, but it may cost more annually and may require multiple years. Lynn may just require a name like Juan Yepez or some other lower-valued prospects/fringe big-leaguers.

If the Cardinals did acquire Lynn, I'd still expect them two to take two more swings, one in free agency and one in the trade market, with at least one of those deals being for a front-line starter. Lynn could be a higher upside middle or back end of the rotation acquisition, which depending on the cost, could be interesting for St. Louis.

Check out my weekly podcast "Redbird Rundown" on Spotify or Apple Podcasts as well as follow me on Twitter @joshjacoMLB for more Cardinals content