Cardinals Floated As Top Destination For Exceptional Young Hurler On Trade Block

St. Louis could land one of the top young arms in baseball this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals will be looking all across baseball for new pitchers ahead of the 2024 season.

Luckily for the Cardinals, they have plenty of time before the 2024 campaign kicks off. St. Louis has a long offseason ahead of it where it will need to make some tough decisions. The Cardinals' biggest hole on the roster certainly is in the starting rotation and the club already has hinted that it will be looking to add three pitchers. 

St. Louis will be very active in free agency, but also in the trade market. One player who could be a target for the Cardinals is Seattle Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, according to Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer.

"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-Dispatch reported 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.

"Trade Proposal: St. Louis Cardinals get (right-handed pitcher) Logan Gilbert; Seattle Mariners get (second baseman) Nolan Gorman, (infielder/outfielder) Brendan Donovan, and (left fielder) Tyler O'Neill. The Cardinals would presumably only do this deal if they're comfortable moving with Masyn Winn and Tommy Edman as their double-play combination."

Gilbert has been mentioned as a possible fit for the Cardinals in the past and a move makes plenty of sense. The 26-year-old impressed in 2023 with a 3.73 ERA in 32 outings and won't be a free agent until 2028. Because he is under team control for so long, the price tag would be extremely high but St. Louis could match it. 

St. Louis also has been linked to fellow starters like Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola, San Diego Padres star Blake Snell, and Minnesota Twins hurler Sonny Gray. If the Cardinals could land Gilbert along with another starter, they could turn things around next season and get back to the playoffs.

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