Cardinals 'Plan To Pursue' Two Superstar Starters To Drastically Improve Rotation

St. Louis could end up landing two of the top free agent starting pitchers this offseason

It won't be long before we start to get a glimpse into what the St. Louis Cardinals' offseason plans are. 

St. Louis has made it clear that it will be pursuing starting pitching this offseason but it will have plenty of competition. The Cardinals have made it known that they are willing to spend, but are they willing to match some of their competitors in negotiations? It's unclear at this point, but they have said all of the right things so far. Plus, the fact that they continue to be linked to top-tier, expensive hurlers could be a sign that changes actually could be coming.

The Cardinals even reportedly are planning to pursue Philadelphia Phillies star Aaron Nola and Orix Buffaloes phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

"Two of the pitchers the Cardinals plan to pursue, Phillies ace Aaron Nola and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, would take a considerable nine-figure cut of that available spending and influence how the Cardinals shop for other starters," Goold said. "Sonny Gray, a veteran right-hander on whom the Cardinals plan to make a bid, would fit in a variety of their scenarios."

Nola and Yamamoto likely will end up being the two most expensive starting pitchers in free agency this offseason. If the Cardinals could land one of the duo, it would be a major upgrade. If somehow they could land both stars, they immediately would be catapulted back into contender status. The Cardinals have plenty of money to spend and realistically could afford both, but it may be difficult due to the stiff competition. 

St. Louis will pursue other starters -- like Gray -- and it sounds like it actually will end up landing three starters in free agency like it said it would. The Cardinals had one of the worst seasons in team history in 2023. It sounds like they are willing to make big changes so that doesn't happen again.  

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