Cardinals could pursue Rangers ace this offseason to bolster rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals are falling out of contention. They've lost seven of their last 10 games and are two games below .500.

The entire team is in shambles, including their starting rotation.

With Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn both free agents at the end of the season, it's very likely that St. Louis will have two holes to fill. But they could target a postseason standout from the Texas Rangers to bolster the staff.

"Nathan Eovaldi has a $20 million vesting option that kicks in if he reaches 300 innings pitched for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. It looks like it'll be a close call on whether he hits that mark," Jim Bowden wrote in The Athletic. "The Rangers likely want him to get there but Eovaldi and his representatives surely would prefer him to fall short to get back to free agency."

Eovaldi will become a free agent if he misses the 300-inning mark, and though he'll be 35 years old next season, he would be a perfect fit for the Cardinals as they try to bounce back into contention in 2025.

A rotation with Eovaldi and Sonny Gray at the top would be a formidable one, and the Cardinals might have a better chance to win in the postseason should they get there.

At the very least, they could have somebody who is comfortable taking the ball in the postseason with a strong track record preceding him.

It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals decide to take a chance on the right-hander.

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