Cy Young Winner May Be Available Through Trade; Should Cardinals Make Big Splash?

Should the Cardinals make a big splash?

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't gotten off to the start they hoped for. 

St. Louis is 2-4 through six games and although the offense has been clicking, the pitching hasn't followed suit yet. The Cardinals are leading the league in batting average through six games at an eye-popping .324, but have a team ERA of 5.33, good for No. 22 in the big leagues. 

The Cardinals' rotation should get a boost when longtime hurler Adam Wainwright returns from injury, but the club should be keeping an eye on Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes if they want to make a big splash. 

The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner will be a free agent after the 2024 season and there have been trade rumors floating around him since the offseason. 

Although no move is imminent and Milwaukee is off to a red-hot 5-1 start through six games, there is a possibility that the Brewers deal Burnes around the trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

"Any deadline speculation, however, is not misplaced," Rosenthal said. "The Brewers indeed might face difficult decisions, even if they are in contention. A number of their best players -- starting pitchers Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Eric Lauer, plus shortstop Willy Adames and first baseman Rowdy Tellez -- are eligible for free agency after the 2024 season.

"Against that backdrop, (general manager Matt Arnold) might be tempted to trade Burnes or Woodruff for multiple young arms at the deadline. The return would be far better than if the GM waited until the offseason when his starters would be available for only one pennant race instead of two, and at high arbitration salaries."

If the Brewers eventually are willing to trade Burnes, that is a move the Cardinals should consider without a doubt. St. Louis' pitching has gotten off to a rocky start and the club only has Mike Mikolas and Steven Matz under contract after this season. Burnes is just 28 years old and already is a two-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner. 

The price for a player of Burnes' caliber certainly would be high, but for a team that is looking to contend now and for the foreseeable future, it would make sense. If a move were to happen, it likely wouldn't be until the trade deadline in July, but Burnes certainly is a player to monitor moving forward. 

This would be an extremely rare inter-division trade involving a star player but the Cardinals should aim to break away from the norm if possible. 

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