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The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly interested in these two starting pitchers
New reporting has the St. Louis Cardinals linked to two veteran starters set to hit free agency this offseason.
Well, it didn't take long for the St. Louis Cardinals' offseason plans to begin to take shape, and per new reporting from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold, I think fans should be excited about how the Cardinals are aiming to improve this offseason.
In a piece following Sunday's season finale against the Cincinnati Reds, Goold reported that multiple sources have told him that Phillies starter Aaron Nola and the Twins' Cy Young Candidate Sonny Gray are going to be pursued by the Cardinals this offseason.
While some may roll their eyes at the thought of the Cardinals' actually pulling off those moves, Goold also reported that there have been both private and public discussions in the front office and ownership that St. Louis needs to adjust to both the price of pitching and innovate how they pitch. This is a huge development for an organization that has been stuck in its way for quite some time.
Alongside Nola and Gray, the Cardinals' are also expected to explore the trade market, as well as players coming over from other countries (namely Japan) in their pursuit of three starting pitchers this offseason. How the market plays out and conversations over the next few months will greatly impact who the Cardinals bring in, but it is clear that Nola and Gray are among their favorites right now.
While there are some other starters on the market that I really like, Gray and Nola are among my favorite options available and are a great starting point for St. Louis this offseason.
Let's take a look at how Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola could fit in with the Cardinals
Sonny Gray is the perfect target for the Cardinals
I have been very open about my desire for the Cardinals to go after Sonny Gray this offseason, as I believe he is the perfect offseason target for this Cardinals team.
The thumbnail really shows my enthusiasm for Sonny Gray #STLCards
— Josh Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) September 27, 2023
Again, I believe the Cardinals need to make multiple upgrades to the top of their rotation. This point has more to do with people underrating Gray than me advocating he’s the best or only move they should make https://t.co/X5bke98998
As you can see my enthusiasm in the thumbnail of that clip from the Noot News Podcast, I'm a big believer in Gray, not just because he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, but because he's been amongst the best in baseball since he came into the league.
I have plenty of analysis to share on Gray in the next few weeks as I'm preparing a deep dive on him, but just at a glance, he finished the 2023 season 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in 184 innings and is likely to finish second in the American League Cy Young voting. Outside of Blake Snell, he's easily been the best pitcher in baseball that is hitting the open market.
While I think his market has risen since I first started clamoring for this name, he still won't take the annual salary or years that Nola, Snell, or Yoshinobu Yamamoto will, but he may give similar or better production over the length of his contract. Right now, I would guess he gets between $22 million and $25 million a year, but due to him turning 34 soon, on a shorter deal, somewhere between two and four years. Those other guys are looking at a minimum of $25 million a year, and likely five to eight-year contracts.
I have plenty more to say on Gray here in the near future, but you can check out my Twitter (or X) timeline @joshjacoMLB for plenty of facts and tidbits on why I see Gray as such a great fit.
Now let's take a look at Aaron Nola.
Aaron Nola fits the mold of a traditional Cardinals' ace
If Sonny Gray is the perfect target for the Cardinals, then Aaron Nola is the perfect mold of a traditional Cardinals starter.
I'm not sure why, but when I talk about how great of a fit Gray would be, people will assume I believe he's the only starter they need, or that they can go for "lesser" arms with their other two rotation spots. I also believe the Cardinals need at least two high-end starters this offseason, and Nola would be an excellent piece to that equation.
I have my concerns about Nola, as in his age-30 season, he has gone 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA, albeit battling through 193.2 innings. He's been a pretty streaky pitcher in his career, but when he is at his best, he is a Cy Young candidate who eats a ton of innings. The Cardinals need high-end talent at the top of their rotation, but they'll also need at least one of those guys to be an innings eater. Nola could be that.
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Nola struggles with giving up the home run ball, but that may make Busch Stadium an appealing place for him to pitch because of that. I doubt he will post an ERA north of 4.50 again in 2024, but he'll need to cut out some of those long balls in order to do so.
Stay tuned for plenty of offseason coverage in the coming weeks and months. It's shaping up to be an exciting winter for the St. Louis Cardinals.