Cardinals Should Keep Eyes On Trading For Rays Hurler To Bolster Rotation

St. Louis might want to consider trading for the hurler

May 28, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zack Littell (52) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals will look to add another veteran pitcher to the rotation if the club can continue to win and establish themselves as buyers before the July 30 trade deadline.

There are a plethora of options out there from non-contending teams for the Cardinals to consider and some starters have already been linked to St. Louis as possible trade candidates.

Several teams are still in limbo between selling and buying this summer, with plenty of baseball left to play before it's too late. One of those teams might have what the Cardinals are looking for.

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Zack Littell is arguably having the best season of his career and could be a perfect addition to the Cardinals rotation -- if his team decides to sell at the deadline.

Littell has posted a 2-4 record with a 3.63 ERA, 69-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .280 batting average against and a 1.29 WHIP in 74 1/3 innings pitched for the Rays this season.

After being designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox early on in 2023 as a reliever, Tampa Bay has transitioned him to a role in the rotation, where he's thrived.

The Rays have been without three top starters -- Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan -- all season due to offseason arm surgeries. Littell has stepped up to help fill the void in the rotation.

Tampa Bay has a 33-36 record and is four games behind in the American League Wild Card race. It's too early to count them out as contenders but they certainly have a difficult journey ahead of them with the AL being so competitive and talented.

The 28-year-old is under team control through 2025 and might be a valuable asset worth trading a decent haul of prospects for. The Rays don't typically sell, so Littell might be a hard bargain but with the Rays being 15 games out of the AL East, this could certainly be the year they unload.

Acquiring Littell this summer might be a long shot but he's worth keeping an eye on as a potential chance to bolster the Cardinals rotation -- if they decide to buy.

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