Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Reportedly Will Be In Contention To Land One Of Most Sought-After Star Pitchers

St. Louis will be in the mix to land a former All-Star pitcher this winter in a much-needed move

Patrick McAvoy

Cardinals Reportedly Will Be In Contention To Land One Of Most Sought-After Star Pitchers
Cardinals Reportedly Will Be In Contention To Land One Of Most Sought-After Star Pitchers /
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It's almost time for the St. Louis Cardinals to put their money where their mouth is. 

With the World Series officially behind us, Major League Baseball free agency is about to heat up in a major way. Stars will be on the move this offseason through free agency and the trade market and it's expected to be an exciting winter.

The Cardinals already have stated their desire to bring in three starting pitchers after a disastrous 2023 season and will have the opportunity to do so. The free agent starting pitching market is very deep this offseason and there will be plenty of options for the Cardinals. One hurler who has been linked to the club is Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola and the club actually could end up landing him, according to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale.

"(General managers) believe that the Phillies will let Nola walk, and will turn their attention to Blake Snell, who’s about to win his second Cy Young award," Nightengale said. "This would leave Nola going to either (St. Louis Cardinals), (Atlanta Braves), (Texas Rangers), or perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers."

Landing Nola would be the perfect place to start for the Cardinals this offseason. Nola had a down year in 2023 with a 4.46 ERA but has been one of the National League's most reliable right-handed starters since debuting in 2015. The one-time All-Star had a 3.25 ERA in 2022 and is just 30 years old. He would give the Cardinals a consistent chance to win every fifth day while pitching close to 200 innings, which the club needs.

Nola will be one of the most sought-after free agent pitchers this offseason but the Cardinals have money to spend and a real desire to bring someone like him to town. It won't be too long until we find out if St. Louis actually can get a deal done. 

More MLB: Cardinals Hurler Floated As Surprise Non-Tender Candidate Despite Solid Season

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu