Blue Jays All-Star Is 'Likely' Trade Candidate; Cardinals Are Perfect Option

St. Louis certainly should be looking to add some pitching help this summer

Mar 6, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the Toronto Blue Jays logo on a building at TD Ballpark during the spring training game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals should be considering all options right now with the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline quickly approaching.

St. Louis has rebounded of late and currently holds one of the three National League Wild Card spots. The Cardinals have shown lately that they still have plenty left in the tank and could be back in the postseason in 2024.

The Cardinals will need to add to the starting rotation this summer at the deadline if they want to put themselves in the best position, though.

St. Louis' rotation is better this season but isn't at full strength thanks in large part to the fact that Steven Matz has been out and suffered another setback recently.

The Cardinals will have plenty of options to add pitching if they want and one player who could make sense is Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Yusei Kikuchi. The 33-year-old has been mentioned in trade rumors for weeks and is a "likely" trade candidate, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"(Bo Bichette) has more value now to the (Los Angeles Dodgers); (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) to the (Seattle Mariners), (Houston Astros), (Pittsburgh Pirates) and others. Free agent to be Yusei Kikuchi is probably a more likely trade candidate, along with Yimi Garcia. And rival teams would love to see Chris Bassitt out there, too"

Kikuchi is an interesting player to watch out for. He has a 4.00 ERA in 16 starts this season but logged a 3.86 ERA in 32 appearances last season. The one-time All-Star certainly could help secure the back of the Cardinals' rotation if St. Louis could ge ta deal done.

A deal may not be likely, but it should be considered.

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