MLB Insider Suggests Cardinals Could Do These Two Things To Be Contenders In NL Central

St. Louis isn't far from being the top team in the NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most active teams in baseball this offseason.

This is clear from the fact that they landed three new starting pitchers before Winter Meetings and also have added bullpen help. While this is the case, there's still work to be done. When you win just 71 games in a season, there's a lot of changes that need to be made

At this point, it seems like the Cardinals may be done adding. St. Louis has improved on paper but still has question marks. The Cardinals' rotation is better but heavily leans on the older side. 

Some have speculated another move could be coming through a trade, but there is no way to know for sure. There still are plenty of intriguing options available and The Athletic's Jim Bowden suggested if the club could land one starting pitcher through trade and two relievers, the club would be contenders in the National League Central.

"I loved the Sonny Gray signing but didn't love the gambles they took on Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson," Bowden said. "Four of their starters are 34 or older and all five of the starters in their presumed rotation are older than 32. 

"The Cardinals obviously need young starting pitching and they'll have to find it in the trade market. They've done a good job of flushing out their outfield depth and their lineup is good enough to win the division. I'd like to see them add one more young starter and two more viable set-up relievers before considering them serious contenders in the (National League Central)."

This plan may be a pipe dream because it doesn't sound like the Cardinals want to spend much more this offseason. Things could change, but the roster in Spring Training may end up looking very similar to how it looks right now.

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