Rumored Cardinals Offseason Target Linked To Blockbuster Deal With Dodgers

Does St. Louis have a chance to land the hurler?

Aug 22, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird uses binoculars from the upper deck seats to watch the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The pressure is on the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason as they look to rejuvenate their roster after missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

Two main areas that need to be addressed are the offense's inability to hit against left-handed pitching and a rotation with several question marks for 2025.

To retool the rotation, the Cardinals will likely need to pursue a front-end starting pitcher to complement ace Sonny Gray or move him to the No. 2 spot.

"The opt out is going to pay off big-time after he (Blake Snell) produced dominance in San Francisco," New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday. "A second straight season of excellence (with fewer walks and more staying power) should greatly expand his market. The (San Francisco) Giants surely want him back, but the rival (Los Angeles) Dodgers, who got into the Snell sweepstakes late (but resisted an opt out) could too."

Snell has been previously mentioned as a possible offseason target for the Cardinals. However, no insider information has been released indicating that St. Louis will pursue the left-handed pitcher this winter.

The 31-year-old has posted a 75-58 record with a 3.21 ERA, 1359-to-494 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .211 batting average against and a 1.22 WHIP in 98 innings pitched throughout his nine-year career.

The two-time Cy Young recipient had a late start to his 2024 season after his agent, Scott Boras, failed to land him the multi-year deal he was looking for last winter.

Despite missing spring training and the beginning of the season, Snell has been incredible on the mound -- logging a 4-0 record with a 1.30 ERA, 105-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .130 batting average against and a 0.85 WHIP in 74 1/3 innings pitched for the Giants since July.

Pursuing Snell this offseason won't be easy for the Cardinals as every other big-market club will likely be after the two-time ERA pitching champion. However, if St. Louis wants to compete next year, it might want to consider spending extra for the highly-coveted southpaw.

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