Cardinals Reportedly Could Acquire Budding Ace To Bolster Pitching Staff

St. Louis could add some pieces after all

Scott Neville | Jul 31, 2023

Cardinals Reportedly Could Acquire Budding Ace To Bolster Pitching Staff /

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The St. Louis Cardinals have officially punted on the 2023 season after trading away right-handers Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton and Jordan Hicks on Sunday.

However, they have been intent on retooling for 2024 as opposed to a long-term rebuild, which might require a move that resembles more of a buyer than a seller before Tuesday's Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.

The Cleveland Guardians reportedly are listening to offers for their right-hander Aaron Civale and their needs match up well with the Cardinals.

"(The Guardians are) after a young, controllable hitter, preferably an outfielder who can hit in or near the middle of the order," The Athletic's Zack Meisel wrote Sunday. "Maybe the other team could attach a back-end starter in the deal who could chew up some innings in Civale’s place. The (Baltimore) Orioles and Cardinals, to name a couple of teams, have a surplus of outfielders and desire starting pitchers with multiple years of control. The Guardians, sources say, don’t have much interest in forking over anything worthwhile for a rental bat, especially if it means outbidding other contenders."

Civale is 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA, 58-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .207 batting average against and 1.04 WHIP in 77 innings across 13 starts. The 28-year-old is under team control through 2025 and appears to be breaking out this season.

Given his low strikeout rate and how hard he relies on balls put in play, his 3.55 FIP and career numbers are more in line with what to expect going forward -- but that production would still be highly coveted in St. Louis.

Civale has a career 3.77 ERA with a 21.1 % strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, .240 batting average against and 1.14 WHIP in 430 innings across 76 starts.

For the Cardinals to acquire Civale, the deal would almost certainly be centered around Dylan Carlson. It might make sense to package right-hander Jack Flaherty as well, seeing as the Guardians would need someone to take Civale's spot in their injury-riddled rotation as they head for a playoff push.

The Cardinals have to load up on pitching prior to the 2024 season. It would make sense to get one frontline starter in place and acclimated to St. Louis before the offseason begins.

More MLB: Cardinals Complete Franchise-Altering Trade With Rangers Involving Ace

Published Jul 31, 2023

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