Cardinals Urged To Sign Phenom To Build 'Dream' Starting Rotation

The Cardinals should be considering all options this winter

Apr 16, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the field prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be an intriguing team to watch over the next few months.

Most of the rumors swirling around the Cardinals have been about which players the club will part with. But could St. Louis make an intriguing addition or two? FanSided's Zach Pressnell put together a "dream" starting rotation for the Cardinals and urged the team to sign phenom Rōki Sasaki.

"St. Louis needs to find some way to get (Miles Mikolas) out of town," Pressnell said. "They're expected to trade just about every player that other teams are interested in, including Ryan Helsley, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. If they can attach Mikolas to one of these deals, they would be set up much better in 2025 than with him on the roster.

"Replacing Mikolas in this dream scenario would be international free agent Rōki Sasaki. While St. Louis likely won't aggressively hit free agency as they look to rebuild, Sasaki is quite the exception. Coming over from Japan as a 23-year-old means he's only eligible for a minor-league deal. If the Cardinals can sway him to sign with them, he would be a huge building block of their big-league rotation."

It would be a shock if the Cardinals were to land Sasaki. He is widely expected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres this offseason. The 23-year-old has developed into a superstar with the Chiba Lotte Marines and is one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in years.

The Cardinals should try to bring him in, but it isn't likely.

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