Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals 'Plan To Pursue' All-Star Starter Among Other Impact Hurlers

St. Louis will need to invest heavily in the rotation next winter

Scott Neville

Cardinals 'Plan To Pursue' All-Star Starter Among Other Impact Hurlers
Cardinals 'Plan To Pursue' All-Star Starter Among Other Impact Hurlers /
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The St. Louis Cardinals have a clear plan to avoid another last-place finish next season: revamp the pitching staff.

While the bullpen will need some work, the big investments will be in the rotation, with at least three new starters expected to enter the mix. It appears that St. Louis has already picked their top choice to bolster the rotation. 

"St. Louis plans to pursue Sonny Gray, according to multiple sources," The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey wrote Tuesday. "Gray is on the record saying he’d be open to a reunion with the Minnesota Twins, but that money will not be the biggest factor in his free-agency decision."

The report reinforces other beat writers who have echoed the same sentiment. Gray would be a perfect addition to the Cardinals. He's one of the most underrated pitchers in Major League Baseball and would not cost a premium due to his age.

The 33-year-old posted a 2.79 ERA with a 183-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .226 batting average against and 1.15 WHIP in 184 innings across 32 starts this season. Gray led the MLB with a 2.83 FIP and 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.

His career 3.47 ERA further reinforces why he should be a top target for St. Louis. While Gray is a slam dunk candidate for the Cardinals, he's far from the only player in their sights. 

"(Gray) and Aaron Nola (who the Cardinals will also target) are believed to be two of the top starting pitchers on the free-agent market, alongside Blake Snell, the likely National League Cy Young award winner," McCaffrey wrote. "The Cardinals will also check in on Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom they have scouted overseas."

Nola, Snell and Yamamoto will all be big-ticket items this winter but the Cardinals do not have the luxury of sitting back and investing in the low-budget hurlers. 

In a perfect world, St. Louis would acquire one of those three -- or Jordan Montgomery, whom they will contact as well -- nab Gray and then make a trade for someone like Shane Bieber or Corbin Burnes using their excess of position players.

However it goes down, this winter will provide plenty of entertainment. 

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Would 'Jump On' Chance To Trade Award-Winning Outfielder

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu