The Cardinals and Marlins had “at least preliminary” discussions regarding Miami’s group of young starters, Reporting by Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic. St. Louis is an amazing place, Rosenthal suggests Pablo Lopez, though on paper, it’s easy to make a case for any of the Marlins’ starters suitably available in St. Louis. both lopez, Jesus LuzardoAnd Trevor Rogers And Edward Cabrera saw his name Surface In the business chatter recently. However, Miami doesn’t seem to have any plans to deal with the ace Sandy Alcantarawhich the Cardinals were already trading the fish for a side Zach Gallen in the transaction you sent Marcel Ozuna From Miami to St. Louis.
The Cardinal has a solid looking rooftop rotation, with both Jordan MontgomeryAnd Miles MikulasAnd Adam WainwrightAnd Stephen Matz And Jack Flaherty He is likely to be included in the starting five. Depth options located behind the group include Dakota HudsonAnd Jake WoodfordAnd Matthew LiberatoreAnd Zack Thompson And Andre Palantthough the latter two did well prepping the bullpen in 2022 Gordon GrisfoAnd Michael McGreevy And tink and thenalthough none of this group is on the 40-man roster yet.
All that said, however, the Cards may lose almost their entire rotation after the season. Wainwright is set to retire, while Mikolas, Montgomery, and Flaherty are all free agents the next winter. Only Matz, whose four-year contract covers the 2022-25 seasons, has been signed or controlled beyond the current season.
In that sense, there’s good reason for the Cards to go after a more manageable rookie through at least the 2024 season. There’s certainly some inner hope that someone like Liberatore, Graceffo or McGreevy can step up and grab a rotational spot when an opportunity inevitably presents itself this season, but that’s a lot to take advantage of. And even if that happens, the Cards will still be looking at the multiple turnover spots they need to fill the next season – possibly as many as three.
Lopez, 27 in March, has a 3.52 ERA over his previous 340 major innings and is arbitration-eligible through the 2024 campaign. Lozardo, even younger than 25, enjoyed a nice rebounding year in 2022 when he had a 3.32 ERA and a 30% strikeout rate, but was hit by an injury. The forearm has a sharpness of only 100 1/3 rounds. He’s in control of the team through 2026. That’s about as much club control as 25-year-old Rogers, who was a 2021 finalist for Rookie of the Year who fumbled to a 5.47 ERA in 107 frames in 2022, his second full MLB campaign. . Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Cabrera will still have six full years in control of the club and rack up a 3.01 ERA in 71 2/3 innings pitched in 2022.
None of this group is very expensive, with Lopez’s $5.45 million salary leading the way. Finances shouldn’t play a huge consideration for the Cardinals anyway; They’re on pace to match last year’s roughly $163 million salary, which was the president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. previously referred to The ability to raise salaries. From Miami’s point of view, the projected Salaries of $103 million would be the second highest mark in the club’s history.
The Marlins are known to seek improvements to their lineup and have prioritized center field and catcher dating back to the most recent off-season. Miami turned out to be a trader for a catcher to Pittsburgh Jacob Stallings before the 2022 season, but he saw the former Gold Glove winner switch to the hitting line. Center field remains an unaddressed need, and Miami once again looks likely to take someone better suited to the corner (Brian De La Cruz) I wish the best this season.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, are deep into rivals Tyler O’NealAnd Dylan Carlson And Lars Notbar You probably line up left to right at the MLB level. (Of the group, Rosenthal suggests, the Nootbaar are the least likely to change hands.) Jordan Walkerwho is likely to be outside the bounds of the trade talks, looms behind that group. Alec BurlesonHe, meanwhile, has already had some MLB experience, and is a fellow outfielder Moses Gomez She published large numbers in the upper minors. Behind the board, the cards have a good catch potential Ivan Herrerawho doesn’t exactly have a clear path to a regular role now Wilson Contreras A five-year deal was signed.
Sure, the Cards and Marlins seem to have aligning needs that could lead to a trade, but there’s also no indication that talks are particularly heated. Miami has likely discussed available starts with more than half of the league, given the paucity of viable big-league options elsewhere in the commercial market. Even the Cards and the Marlins themselves don’t know if the deal will eventually come together at this juncture, but nonetheless, it’s worth noting that the two parties have at least had some superficial conversations.