Ex-Cardinals Cy Young Winner Could Be Logical Reunion Candidate, Per Insider

St. Louis would love to bring the young ace back to Busch Stadium

Jul 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium as the sunsets during the second inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff has greatly improved since last season but there's still plenty of room for improvement that the club can focus on this upcoming offseason.

For starters, there's uncertainty about Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn's futures, as they both have club options for 2025 that haven't been picked up yet. With both pitchers getting older, St. Louis might want to consider a younger option.

Luckily, there's a former Cardinals pitcher who could fit in the rotation if Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak can find a way to reunite with him.

"Mozeliak can’t undo the (Marcell) Ozuna trade, but bringing (Sandy) Alcantara back while he can and having him anchor the Cardinals rotation before Alcantara turns 30 could be the next best thing," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Ben Frederickson wrote Sunday when discussing why it would make logical sense for the Cardinals to pursue a reunion with the former St. Louis hurler.

Alcantara posted a 4.32 ERA with a 10-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .273 batting average against and a 1.80 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings pitched as a reliever for the Cardinals in 2017 before being traded that winter to the Miami Marlins, where he has continued to pitch.

The 28-year-old's lackluster stint with St. Louis is what contributed to the team dealing him to the Marlins, along with All-Star pitcher Zac Gallen, who still holds resentment towards the Cardinals for how they handled trading him.

The Marlins gave Alcantara his shot as a starting pitcher at the major league level in 2018 and he hasn't been back to the bullpen since. The right-handed pitcher has logged a 41-55 record with a 3.31 ERA, 779-to-267 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and a 1. 15 WHIP across six seasons for Miami.

The 2022 National League Cy Young winner is under team control through 2027 but considering Miami is rebuilding, an Alcantara trade can't be ruled out. He has a fairly lucrative contract that could be tough to afford for a struggling team -- $17.3 million for the next two years and a $21 million club option for 2027.

Miami has been without Alcantara all season as he recovers from offseason Tommy John surgery, so his price tag could be discounted because of that. Trading for him this winter would be a risk, but it might be worth it in the long run if the Cardinals can get a young and controllable ace out of it.

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