Cardinals, Marlins 'Wild' Proposal Would Swap Slugger For $8M Starter

Would the Cardinals actually consider a deal of this nature?

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

We are at arguably the most boring point of the Major League Baseball offseason.

The offseason is here, but there hasn't been much action yet. The qualifying offer deadline passed and teams had to decide whether or not to offer the roughly $21 million, one-year deal to free agents. The players now need to make their own decisions about whether or not to accept the offers. The deadline for players will pass on Nov. 19.

Soon enough, free agents will start signing and trades will start to be made. Right now, everything is speculation and rumors but nothing substantial. It's a fun time in the sense that anything can happen and every fan base should have some hope, but the majority of the rumors and speculated moves won't happen.

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be an intriguing team to watch. St. Louis is looking to trim payroll and build for the future. So most of the team's moves this offseason will be cutting the organization down, but could they add some young, key pieces as well?

FanSided's Josh Jacobs put together a list of five "wild" trade ideas and one was an intriguing deal between the Cardinals and Miami Marlins that would flip Nolan Gorman for Jesús Luzardo.

"Cardinals receive (Left-handed pitcher) Jesús Luzardo and Marlins receive Nolan Gorman," Jacobs said. "Jesús Luzardo was one of the breakout starting pitchers of the 2023 season, posting a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for Miami. Luzardo struck out 28.1 percent of the batters he faced, which was among the best in baseball. His chase percent and whiff percent were exceptional as well, and he did a really good job of limiting walks as well...

"2024 did not go as planned for Luzardo as he made just 12 starts and really struggled on the mound as he battled injuries. Nolan Gorman slugged 27 home runs for the Cardinals in 119 games in 2023, posting a 118 wRC+ in the process. In 2024, he struck out at a 37.6 percent clip, which was a historically bad rate and he saw his average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage all tank because of it."

The Cardinals may not have a great 2025 season, but they are trying to build for the future. Adding someone like Luzardo could help do that at a low price.

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