John Mozeliak has maintained the idea that adding two starting pitchers should be the St. Louis Cardinals top priority this offseason. The Cards rotation was a sore spot for them last season, and they traded away Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline.
"I think for us, our checklist is starter, starter, and then let's see what we look like," Mozeliak said. "We do have some position-player talent and depth there. So, we also do want to explore the trade market just in case we aren't successful on the [free-agent market]."
In bringing the trade market to light, Mozeliak also made clear that free agency wasn't the only means for St. Louis to make such additions. Perhaps the Cards could acquire an ace via trade, and then fill out the rest of their starting five with mid-tier free agents. There are certainly ways the Cardinals could get creative all the while improving their on-field product.
"We certainly feel like we need at least two starters. I think we have some [bullpen] talent that we can arrange, but we're not going to close ourselves off to the reliever market. But we are going to take a more patient approach to that to allow other things to happen," Mozeliak added.
Thankfully, should the Cards add to their rotation via trade, they have stockpiled young talent in the outfield especially.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 5 starter: RHP, Clayton Beeter
The Cardinals were linked to Beeter last season around the trade deadline, as they scouted him in the Yankees farm system. Beeter doesn't have a direct path to New York per say, making this trade all the more likely. New York was interested in Dylan Carlson, a former top prospect who has flamed out in St. Louis. Carlson remains available! What am I missing?
This trade isn't a game changer for either team necessarily. Carlson would join the Yankees outfield mix, and this team still needs a left fielder. Beeter could be the back-end starter the Cardinals desperately need, and injects some young talent into the rotation. Beeter performed well at Double-A Somerset last season, and MLB Pipeline spoke highly of him:
"His high arm slot creates downhill plane and deception, and his ability to tunnel his pitches makes him even harder to hit. No Minor League pitcher who worked as many innings (77) as Beeter had as high a strikeout rate (15.1 per nine innings) in 2022."
I, for one, do not see the harm in this trade for either team.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 4 starter: RHP Cal Quantrill
The Cleveland Guardians surprisingly let Cal Quantrill walk via a DFA just a few days ago. Quantrill is just a season removed from a superb year, in which he finished with 15 wins and a 3.38 ERA. Last season, Quantrill struggled with injuries and failed to live up to the hype. Cleveland didn't want to protect Quantrill on the 40-man roster and coulnd't find a trade partner for him, hence why they DFA'd him on Tuesday.
Prior to his release, Quantrill viewed his 2023 season as a learning experience and something he could grow from. That's the type of mentality Cardinals fans should want from their pitching staff.
"Kind of a learning experience for me this year. I've been pretty blessed, I've been pretty healthy my entire professional career. I didn't handle the injury, looking back, as well as I could have. I think I probably let it get too far and it affected both my results and the team's results. Then I wanted to come back so fast that maybe I just didn't give it a chance to fully heal,"Quantrill said about his 2023 season.
St. Louis could sign Quantrill to a prove-it deal. Should he succeed, he'll be well worth the money, though the Dodgers are thought to be favored for his services.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 3 starter: RHP, Miles Mikolas
There shouldn't be much turnover within the Cardinals rotation from last season to 2024, and for good reason. However, if there's one pitcher who has proven they belong in St. Louis, it's Miles Mikolas.
Yes, Mikolas struggled at times last year, finishing the season with a 4.78 ERA. However, he's just a year removed from an NL All-Star appearance and a 3.29 ERA. Assuming he can find that level of play again, he'll be an asset to Oli Marmol as a No. 3 starting pitcher. Redbird Rants' Josh Jacobs had an explanation for Mikolas's struggles, and thinks a bounce-back season could be in order:
"Part of the reason for Mikolas' struggles though is the fact that the Cardinals did ride him so deep into ball games so often. They really relied on Mikolas to give them 6+ innings every time out, even if that meant giving up a few extra runs," Jacobs wrote. "I do not expect Mikolas to be an All-Star again like he was in 2022, but if he can give them a sub-4.50 ERA with 200 innings once again, that would be huge for the back of that rotation."
Mikolas will not be expected to lead the pitching staff, nor should he be. But he can provide useful innings in the middle of the rotation, and frankly that ought to be enough.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 2 starter: RHP, Logan Gilbert
Okay, here is where it gets really juicy. It's no secret that the Cardinals have admired young Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert from afar. Gilbert finished last season with a 3.72 ERA, and is just 26 years old. He seems close to breaking out of his shell and becoming an ace-level prospect, whether that be in Seattle or elsewhere.
The Cardinals are betting on that occurring elsewhere. While it would take a lot fo acquire Gilbert -- potentially Alec Burleson and more -- St. Louis did inquire at the trade deadline. Seattle seems set in the pitching department with Luis Castillo leading the charge, while they could use depth around the outfield.
Bleacher Report's Zach Rymer floated the Cardinals as a potential landing spot for Gilbert again this offseason, and it's easy to see why:
"There's no need to speculate about whether the Cardinals would like to have Gilbert," Rymer said. "Even as their 2023 season was failing to launch, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatchreported in July that the club had the righty on its radar. Gilbert would certainly be a welcome addition to a Cardinals rotation that posted a 5.07 ERA this season, and there's at least one reason to believe they can make a deal happen: Whereas the Mariners have excess arms, the Cardinals have excess bats."
Acquiring Gilbert would be expensive in terms of assets, but he's signed through 2027 and about to enter his arbitration years. He's more affordable than some top-tier free agents, which makes him an intriguing get.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 1 starter: LHP, Jordan Montgomery
Surprise, surprise. In a dream rotation full of right-handed pitching, Jordan Montgomery is the logical fit to top the ground as a lefty. Montgomery was traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline, but never lost respect for the Cardinals organization. He's reportedly open to a return after leading the Rangers to a World Series this postseason.
FanSided's Robert Murray has long floated a Montgomery-Cardinals reunion as a good possibility. While Montgomery will be expensive, at least St. Louis knows what they're getting. The Cards believed in him as a frontline starter when others did not, including Monty's former team, the New York Yankees.
"Jordan Montgomery will be expensive, especially as he continues to pitch like a frontline starter for the Texas Rangers. But the Cardinals know Montgomery, have actively pursued left-handed pitching in recent seasons, and ultimately acquired the left-hander from the New York Yankees for outfielder Harrison Bader at the 2022 trade deadline," Murray wrote. "Clearly the Cardinals like Montgomery. He was their best pitcher when he was in St. Louis."
If Montgomery can pitch like he did this postseason for Texas, he's the ace the Cards desperately need. Signing Montgomery and Quantrill would open up financial capital to perhaps pursue other needs, as well, as Mozeliak would avoid adding two expensive starters. Gilbert and Beeter, both acquired via trade in this scenario, are relatively affordable in 2024.