Cardinals Reportedly Among Top-3 Landing Spots For Highly Sought-After Star Pitcher

It's time for the Cardinals to make a major splash and the club could land a Cy Young Award winner

Who should the St. Louis Cardinals pursue in free agency? 

St. Louis will be looking to improve the starting rotation. This fact is the thing that the club -- and media -- will be focused on most after an abysmal 2023 campaign. Rumors have already swirled about who the club could target and the team itself has made it clear that they are looking to add three starters this offseason. 

The starting pitcher free agent market is very deep this offseason and the Cardinals have been linked in some way to many of them already. With the World Series now behind us, rumors are sure to pick up even more now and the Cardinals will be featured in many of them. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand ranked the top 25 free agents this offseason and possible landing spots for each one. One intriguing name Feinsand tied to the Cardinals is San Diego Padres star Blake Snell. 

"On May 19, Snell was 1-6 with a 5.40 ERA after nine starts, leading many to project that he was costing himself a ton of money in free agency," Feinsand said. "From that point forward, he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball, going 13-3 with a 1.20 ERA over his final 23 starts. Snell, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner, could add a second Cy Young to his résumé this season, which would make the left-hander only the seventh pitcher to earn that honor in both leagues. Potential fits:  Cardinals, (Los Angeles Dodgers), Padres. 

St. Louis has been linked to Snell on multiple occasions already. While other hurlers -- like Minnesota Twins ace Sonny Gray and Philadelphia Phillies star Aaron Nola -- have been mentioned as fits for the Cardinals more, Snell would be perfect. He likely will be the National League Cy Young Award winner after a spectacular season that saw him lead the league with a minuscule 2.25 ERA. 

While Snell may not be perfect, he immediately would pencil in as the Cardinals' top starter. He very likely will be leaving the Padres this offseason as they plan to cut down on cost. If St. Louis could land Snell along with another top arm -- like Gray -- the club could see a major turnaround in 2024. 

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Will Be In Mix For Former All-Star Pitcher; Bounce-Back Candidate