Cardinals Reportedly Pursuing Free-Agent Ace 'More Aggressively' Than Anyone

St. Louis needs to add some star power to the rotation

Scott Neville | Nov 9, 2023

Cardinals Reportedly Pursuing Free-Agent Ace 'More Aggressively' Than Anyone /

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The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be bold in free agency this winter and already have some free-agent targets they plan to pursue.

As expected, every player of interest so far has been a starting pitcher, the biggest area of need for the organization. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is expected to add multiple starters and seemingly is well on his way to acquiring one.

"To this point, no team is expected to pursue starting pitcher Aaron Nola more aggressively than the St. Louis Cardinals," MLB Nerd's Jack Azoulay-Haron reported Wednesday. "The Cardinals are going to look to add impact arms through free agency, and perhaps the trade market if the value lines up."

Nola and fellow right-handed free agent Sonny Gray are the two names that have been consistently linked to the Cardinals by local reporters. Azoulay-Haron reinforces the club's interest in the Philadelphia Phillies' ace.

Nola posted a 4.46 ERA with a 202-to-45 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .240 batting average against and 1.15 WHIP in 193 2/3 innings last season.

Those numbers do not scream frontline starter but his ability to post every fifth day combined with his three top-ten finishes for the National League Cy Young Award since 2018 is encouraging.

St. Louis could use a player who is good for 180 innings next season -- a feat he's accomplished five times -- and has the upside of a dominant starter.

Nola is not my favorite pitcher on the market but he fits what the Cardinals need and would be an upgrade for just about every rotation in Major League Baseball.

More MLB: Cardinals Acquire Highly Intriguing Slugger From Cubs After Strong 2023 Season

Published Nov 9, 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