Ex-Yankees Star Hurler May Be Traded; Should Cardinals Consider Making Splash?

Should the Cardinals look into trading for a former Yankees star pitcher?

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of work to do. 

St. Louis has been surprisingly subpar to open the 2023 season. After winning 93 games in 2022, the Cardinals returned much of the same roster plus some interesting additions, but are 10-19 through 29 games. St. Louis currently is in last place in the National League Central and are 10 games behind the first place Pittsburgh Pirates. 

The Cardinals' offense has been solid for the most so far this season, but the club's starting pitching hasn't been able to get the job done. St. Lous' bullpen hasn't caused the club many problems, but always could be improved as well. The Cardinals' bullpen currently is 17th in the league with a 3.97 so there certainly is room for improvement. One external candidate who could be of some help if the club opts for a trade would be Kansas City Royals fireballer Aroldis Chapman.

The former New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds fireballer struggled in 2022 but is having an extremely impressive bounce back season for the Royals. Chapman has compiled a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances so far this season for Kansas City to go along with 19 strikeouts and just three walks.

To make matters even better for Chapman, his advanced metrics have been off the charts so far this season. The fireballer is in the 100th percentile in fastball velocity, 100th percentile in strikeouts percentage, 95th percentile in fastball spin rate, and 99th percentile in whiff rate. Chapman has shown flashes of his former self and certainly has shown that he can still perform at a high level. 

Chapman could help any club and likely will be dealt before the trade deadline. Kansas City is just 7-22 so far this season so a deal makes perfect sense for the club sooner rather than later. Chapman's trade stock is at a high right now so he could even get dealt ahead of the trade deadline. St. Louis' issues have stemmed from subpar starting pitching, but improving the bullpen certainly couldn't hurt. Chapman likely will be the top reliever available this season so it would make sense for the Cardinals to aim high. 

The Cardinals need to turn things around quickly if they want to compete this season in general and it wouldn't hurt to improve their bullpen with a fireballer like Chapman.

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly May Trade Young Outfielder; Deal With Yankees Makes Sense