The St. Louis Cardinals took a major step forward on Monday morning when they signed veteran right-hander Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million contract.
By signing Gray, the Cardinals now have a true ace to lead their rotation. However, they are far from through and still have plenty of work they need to do before they can be considered World Series contenders.
President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak still has his hands full as the Winter Meetings approach. Pitching is what failed the Cardinals in 2023, and it should still be at the top of their list.
Here are three moves Mozeliak must make to complete the Cardinals pitching staff
1. Trade for Dylan Cease
The Cardinals have now added three starting pitchers to their rotation, which means they may in fact be done adding starters.
However, they should still be looking into adding another rotation arm. Trading for somebody like Dylan Cease would be a good move.
Cease is yet another starter who can be considered a top-of-the-rotation arm. Adding him would give St. Louis a World Series caliber rotation, something they have not had in several years.
The young right-hander is a strikeout machine, having fanned 214 batters during the regular season and averaged 10.9 punchouts per nine innings. He fits the mold of an ace after finishing second in the Cy Young race last season.
This year was somewhat of a letdown for the White Sox ace, who went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA. However, he still possesses a ton of upside that could be beneficial to St. Louis if they decide to engage in trade talks with the White Sox.
It would take a significant haul. But St. Louis needs to make bold moves if they want to rebound from their most disappointing season since 2007.
2. Trade for Michael King
The Cardinals have other areas they need to upgrade besides the starting rotation.
One of the most obvious areas is the bullpen. According to Derrick Goold, that is what the Cardinals will most likely address next.
At the trade deadline, the Cardinals were looking to clear up their logjam in the outfield, and the New York Yankees were a team that had interest in Dylan Carlson. Perhaps the Cardinals could look to rekindle talks with the Yankees.
As far as bullpen upgrades go, St. Louis could benefit from trading for somebody like Michael King, who has been a reliable arm for the Yankees over the past several years.
King is still just 28 years old and had an ERA of 2.75 during the regular season with the Bronx Bombers. He also recorded 127 strikeouts over 104.2 innings of work.
The right-hander could be a solid middle-to-late inning reliever for St. Louis and bridge the gap before the time comes to bring in either Giovanny Gallegos or Ryan Helsley.
St. Louis traded away Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton, who were two of the most reliable bullpen arms the team had prior to the deadline. But a trade for King would give them a high-leverage reliever as they seek to upgrade for 2024.
3. Bring back Jordan Hicks
Speaking of Hicks, the veteran right-hander is now a free agent, meaning a reunion could be in the cards.
Hicks had taken over as the Cardinals closer before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 30. He enjoyed a dominant stretch in Toronto, posting a 2.63 ERA in 25 appearances with his new team.
The 27-year-old is obviously familiar with the Cardinals organization and could help give the team a deadly combination in the back end of their bullpen along with Helsley and Gallegos. The right-hander finished the 2023 season with an ERA of 3.29 and 12 saves, eight of which came in St. Louis.
The Cardinals still have money to spend in free agency after signing Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson on bargain deals while also obtaining Gray at a reasonable price.
Hicks would likely command a multi-year deal, which should be right in the Cardinals price range as they turn their focus to upgrading the 'pen for 2024 and beyond.
St. Louis will hope to bounce back into contention after losing 91 games in 2023.