Cardinals Mentioned As 'Dark Horse Suitors' For Superstar Pitcher In Possible Trade

Could St. Louis make a blockbuster trade this offseason for a young ace?

The St. Louis Cardinals likely are done adding this offseason.

St. Louis has added three starting pitchers and multiple relievers as well. The Cardinals' offense is in a good spot and the only thing the club possibly needs is a contract extension with superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

The Cardinals likely will head into Spring Training pretty much with the roster they currently have. Although this is the case, it hasn't stopped the club from being mentioned in rumors.

This offseason has been extremely slow so far with a handful of stars still available in free agency and numerous players who have been mentioned in trade rumors still waiting for deals.

One of the biggest players who likely will be moved this offseason is Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease. The 28-year-old had a down year in 2023 but logged a 2.20 ERA in 32 starts in 2022 with a 227-to-78 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter compiled a list of realistic trade packages from clubs that have been linked to Cease and although he didn't put together a trade package from St. Louis, he did mention the club as a "dark horse" to land the young star.

"Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic listed the Cardinals as speculative contenders for Cease, so we'll include them here on our list of dark horse suitors," Reuter said. "They moved quickly to add Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn in free agency to a staff that already includes Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, but they have some superfluous position players and Cease would still be a clear upgrade."

A move certainly is unlikely but it's interesting that the Cardinals still are being mentioned as a possible club that could make a deal. Reuter made a hypothetical list so it doesn't necessarily mean anything is in the works, but a move for Cease would be a solid idea.

St. Louis reportedly won't be adding more salary this offseason. So, if it could get a deal done and send out enough money to match Cease's salary, maybe a deal could make sense.

More MLB: Cardinals Likely Done Making Additions This Offseason Unless This Happens