MLB Insider Links Superstar Shohei Ohtani To Cardinals; Could Deal Realistically Happen?

Could the Cardinals actually land superstar Shohei Ohtani?

The St. Louis Cardinals could be in for an extremely busy season. 

St. Louis has struggled out the gate to begin the 2023 season and is 9-13 through the club's first 22 games, but that doesn't mean it can't turn things around. The Cardinals won 93 games in 2022 and have returned much of the same roster plus some solid additions. 

The club's pitching has been its Achilles heel, but it should improve in the near future. Veteran Adam Wainwright should be back with the big-league club shortly and stars like Miles Mikolas should be able to find their footing. If the Cardinals opted to make a big splash ahead of the trade deadline, they certainly have the pieces to put together a blockbuster deal. There are sure to be plenty of exciting pitchers on the market and one that has been linked to the Cardinals is Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden. 

"However, they could package (Tyler O'Neill) with one of their middle infielders, Tommy Edman or Brendan Donovan -- knowing that their top shortstop prospect, Masyn Winn, is close to being major-league-ready -- and one of their top pitching prospects such as Gordan Graceffo (but not Tink Hence; he's untouchable). That type of package should be enough to land a top starter if one becomes available at the trade deadline.

"In terms of other starters, a lot depends on who's in postseason contention and who's not come July. If the (Chicago Cubs) fall out of the race, Marcus Stroman could become available because he has an opt-out after this season. Shohei Ohtani, despite the Angels' denials, could be dealt if the Halos fall out of contention."

While Ohtani certainly is a pipe dream, he would be the perfect addition to a Cardinals team that is poised to win now. St. Louis won the National League Central title last season and on paper should be even better this season and an addition of a star of Ohtani's caliber would just take them to a whole new level. The 28-year-old two-way superstar leads all of baseball with a minuscule 0.64 ERA and also has clubbed five home runs and driven in 13 runs. 

Ohtani will be a free agent at the end of this season and likely will receive the largest contract in MLB history, but the Cardinals have handed their fair share of large contracts so maybe a deal could come to fruition. The Ohtani sweepstakes are going to continue until he signs his next contract but maybe it will end up being with St. Louis. 

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