For the first time in John Mozeliak’s 15-year tenure as general manager and president of baseball operations, the St. Louis Cardinals are approaching the trade deadline as true sellers.
Usually a clear contender, St. Louis is in an unfamiliar spot.
However, even as they look to sell, there are ways they can also do a little buying, which of course would be geared towards 2024.
On BK & Ferrario, a local St. Louis sports radio show, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi discussed what he thinks the Cardinals should do at this deadline, stating that at the very least, they should add a starting pitcher or two that can slot into their rotation next year.
Brandon Kiley tweeted what Morosi had to say.
“At a bare minimum, the #STLCards need to get at least one (starting pitcher) in (at the deadline) who John Mozeliak can say, ‘he is going to be in the rotation on opening day 2024. You probably should be getting two guys about whom you can say that.” – @jonmorosi on @101espn.
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) July 28, 2023
Pitching has been the biggest concern this season for the Cardinals.
The team failed to address this weakness in the offseason, which has resulted in them falling out of postseason contention well before the deadline.
However, there are teams that could potentially be willing to send some pitching their way.
Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery are both impending free agents and almost certainly will be dealt before time expires on Tuesday.
Only Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz are under contract for 2024, as Adam Wainwright is set to retire.
That leaves three open rotation spots for the Cardinals entering the offseason, which puts them in a less than desirable position.
The team is also lacking a true ace, which is something they haven’t had since Wainwright was in his prime.
The next few days will be interesting to watch as the Cardinals prepare for the deadline.
NEXT:
Cardinals Pitcher Ejected From Game After Bizarre Sequence