2024 Cardinals trade deadline preview: Greatest needs, possible targets as St. Louis continues rebound season

The next notable date on Major League Baseball's calendar is the July 30 trade deadline. That, of course, means buyers and sellers and "holders" and, one hopes, blockbuster swaps before the deadline arrives. All of that means it's time to take closer looks at some of the teams who may define the 2024 trade deadline.

Speaking of which, we're working our way through those close inspections of the teams that figure to be active participants in this here deadline. We'll do that by prescribing a handful of specific trade pieces that the team in question should target – or, in the case of a rebuilding team/seller, we'll declare which players should be on the way out.

Up this time around is the St. Louis Cardinals , who are presently above .500 and in second wild-card position in the National League (and also within competitive range of the first-place Brewers in the NL Central). As July 30 approaches, the Cardinals will likely be in the market for pitching help. Now let's have a look at their deadline situation.

What they need

The Cardinals' biggest issue this season has been an inconsistent offense. However, they have a fairly crowded and complicated roster of position players, and there's also the expected return of Tommy Edman at some point in the second half. Because of all that, the front office led by John Mozeliak doesn't figure to target a bat leading up to the deadline. Instead, the Cardinals seem likely to add rotation help while also looking to add another high-leverage reliever to the mix.

On the first point, veteran starters Miles Mikolas and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Lance Lynn have suffered from inconsistency and sub-optimal performance overall. As well, Andre Pallante 's hold on the fifth spot in the rotation is a tenuous one, and the injured Steven Matz has no clear timetable for his return. Even if there's no internal willingness to dislodge a vet like Mikolas or Lynn from his position, the Cardinals could still seek out an upgrade for Pallante's spot. This, of course, is to say nothing of the possibility of injuries or further degradation within that aging core.

On the bullpen front, it's less a matter of quality than usage concerns. While manager Oliver Marmol's "circle of trust" has expanded modestly, he's still devoted to a trio of high-leverage relievers to handle any fraught late innings: Jojo Romero from the left side, Andrew Kittredge from the right, and closer Ryan Helsley . Rule 5 pick Ryan Fernandez has worked his way into the mix, but that "core three" is still Marmol's go-to arrangement. This is all somewhat complicated by the fact that the Cardinals, in the name of keeping Helsley healthy and effective, have largely confined him to strict closer usage – one-inning appearances in the ninth, save situations only. He also doesn't often pitch on back-to-back days. So they could use another high-leverage presence in the bullpen to ease the strain on Romero and Kittredge.

Possible trade targets

The reality is that the Cardinals probably aren't going to take on large salary commitments, and they're not likely to swing a blockbuster that drains the upper tier of a farm system that's not all that strong at the moment. So more modest targeted strikes are probably what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has in mind. Now for some possibilities …

Erick Fedde CHW • SP • #20 ERA 2.99 WHIP 1.13 IP 111.1 BB 30 K 99 View Profile

Fedde has thrived in his first season back in the majors after a one-season stint in Korea. Thanks largely to an adjusted pitch mix and some changed pitch shapes, he presently boasts a 138 ERA+ and a K/BB ratio of 3.30 in 111 1/3 innings. At age 31, Fedde and his rebuilt approach should remain an effective presence in the rotation for some time. The financial commitment is a modest one, as he's owed the balance of a $7.5 million contract for this season and is under contract for 2025 at the same salary. That's a cheap and probably reliable mid-rotation presence, and it's something the Cardinals could use. That's especially the case since Lynn and Kyle Gibson are on club options for next season and thus not guaranteed to be back.

Jack Flaherty DET • SP • #9 ERA 3.13 WHIP .96 IP 100.2 BB 17 K 127 View Profile

Needless to say, this would be a compelling reunion. Flaherty had been a Cardinals lifer before last season's trade to the Orioles followed by his inking a one-year, $14 million pact with Detroit. He's leveled up in a major way on the Tigers ' watch. This season, the 28-year-old right-hander has pitched to an FIP of 3.16 in 17 starts, and he's struck out 32.4% of opposing hitters – an excellent figure for a starting pitcher. The Cardinals badly need additional swing and miss in the rotation, and Flaherty would give them that. On the downside, he'll always have health and durability concerns (only once in his career has he managed a qualifying number of innings). As well, Flaherty's relationship with the Cardinals was occasionally a fraught one and, justified or not, that may give the organization pause.

Elsewhere, Tyler Anderson of the Angels seems to be a theoretical fit, and the Cardinal rotation right now is without a lefty thanks to Matz's injury. However, Anderson's success at the run-prevention level this season seems to be largely luck-driven, as evidenced by his very weak fundamental metrics. He's just too much of a regression risk for the Cardinals.

On the bullpen front, options abound. The Cardinals don't figure to pay the going prospect rates for Mason Miller , but someone like the veteran David Robertson could be a fit if the Rangers opt to sell. Old friend John Brebbia has an ugly ERA with the White Sox , but his underlying indicators suggest he's been very unlucky. At a fundamental level, he's been increasingly dominant, and Brebbia could perhaps be folded into a Fedde trade. Toronto's Yimi García is another option.

What they can give up

As noted, the Cardinals' farm system, thanks to years of low draft picks and recent "graduations" like those of Masyn Winn , Alec Burleson , and Jordan Walker (he's in Triple-A but exhausted his MLB rookie status last season), isn't an upper-tier one right now. That said, they can still put together interesting trade packages that would perhaps feature upper-rung arms like Gordon Graceffo , Michael McGreevy , Sem Robberse , Quinn Mathews , and Cooper Hjerpe . On the position-player side, infielder Thomas Saggese and catcher Iván Herrera come to mind. The Cards would no doubt be loath to part with Walker or high-ceiling right-hander Tink Hence, but the above trade possibilities likely wouldn't command them. In the majors, outfielder and former first-rounder Dylan Carlson is a change-of-scenery candidate. He's still just 25 and has two full seasons of team control remaining.