Tyler Glasnow reveals Cardinals as one of the teams interested in trading for him

One of the biggest moves to happen so far this offseason was the blockbuster trade of Tyler Glasnow, sending the right-hander to the Los Angeles Dodgers and then immediately signing a big extension with them. Other teams were interested in making a deal with the Rays, and according to Glasnow himself, the St. Louis Cardinals were one of those teams.

In a recent interview with the Foul Territory podcast, former Cardinals catcher AJ Pierzynski asked Glasnow who were some of the teams that talked about trading for him, and the very first team he listed was the Cardinals. Now, Glasnow did indicate that it was mostly just rumors and talk when he said that list, but he later indicated that it became clearer which teams were interested.

This part is all speculation now, but the fact that he listed the Cardinals before the Dodgers on that list tells me that they were at least a real player in these conversations. I don't think they'd be the first team that came to mind for Glasnow if they weren't really interested in him.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (subscription required) reported the Cardinals' interest in Glasnow on numerous occasions, and their interest had been picked up by national media as well. We don't know how far talks progressed with the Rays for Glasnow or if the Cardinals would have been interested in an extension with him, but based on John Mozeliak's comments this offseason, we may actually know more about the timing of these talks than Glasnow let on.

Mozeliak has talked about how the Cardinals did not really explore the trade market until after they had signed Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn, which indicates to me that these talks for Glasnow were happening sometime in late November or more likely in December. Sure, they may have checked in earlier in the offseason before they signed Gray, but based on Mozeliak's comments and Glasnow's knowledge of their pursuit, it leads me to believe they were interested in adding Glasnow on top of their three free-agent additions.

Glasnow carries a $25 million salary for 2024, so that would represent a significant investment for St. Louis if they had gone in that direction. So that gives me optimism about how much room they feel like they have to add the rest of the offseason. The bigger thing to me though is that if they truly explored a Glasnow trade after the Gray signing, it means they are seriously open to adding another top-end starter.

Again, I'm speculating here, and I don't believe the Cardinals are necessarily intent on adding another top-end starter, but as Mozeliak said on Sunday, they are not closing any doors there, and if the right opportunity presents itself, they would have interest in adding another starting pitcher.