Former All-Star Hurler Could Land With Cardinals This Offseason To Help Fix Rotation

Should the Cardinals take a chance on the former White Sox All-Star this offseason?

The St. Louis Cardinals already have added a new starter into the mix.

St. Louis entered the offseason needing to add at least three starters to the rotation. The Cardinals made their first move Monday by reuniting with veteran Lance Lynn and now will be looking for two more hurlers. 

The Cardinals will pursue some top-tier arms like Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and San Diego Padres star Blake Snell, but they likely will need another second-tier arm as well. One player who could fit that description is former Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals starter Lucas Giolito, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"Aaron Nola’s seven-year, $172 million deal to return to the Phillies meant two things for the Cardinals: it took a big arm off the market and showed that pitching is going to be quite costly this winter," Feinsand said. "St. Louis added Lance Lynn on Monday, but the Cards need multiple arms to replenish their rotation, and while Giolito had a down year in 2023, he has enough of a track record to make him a worthy candidate to rebound in 2024."

Feinsand compiled a list of possible free agent targets for each Major League Baseball club and Giolito was mentioned for the Cardinals. A move makes sense. Giolito was one of the top right-handed starters in the American League at one point but hasn't looked the same over the last two years. Giolito compiled a 4.90 ERA in 2022 and 4.88 overall ERA in 2023 across 33 starts while spending time with the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians. Although his numbers may not jump off the paper, he actually was very solid for the White Sox. Giolito made 21 starts for Chicago and compiled a 3.79 ERA before being traded to Los Angeles. 

If the Cardinals could land someone like Yamamoto, Snell, or Minnesota Twins ace Sonny Gray, bringing in Giolito also would make sense as another depth option with high upside.

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