3 trades Cardinals shouldn’t wait to make after Jack Flaherty injury
By Mark Powell
The St. Louis Cardinals need to act now after ace Jack Flaherty went down with what’s been termed a “significant” oblique injury.
The Cardinals internal pitching options are fine, but St. Louis was already dealing with rotation issues prior to Flaherty’s injury. The 25-year-old was having one of the best seasons of his career, living up to the expectations after a tough 2020 season, to the tune of a 2.90 ERA in 11 starts.
St. Louis, which has already fallen behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, cannot afford to wait on a possible replacement for Flaherty in the rotation. Losing an ace for any period of time is a big hit, but Flaherty isn’t expected to be back anytime soon.
So, who is available? Given we’re a month-plus away from late July’s MLB Trade Deadline, it’s tougher to make a deal due to the number of teams still in contention.
But it’s never too soon to try. Injuries have placed the Cardinals in a tough position. Thankfully, there are a few trade options already generating some buzz league-wide.
MLB rumors: 3 players the St. Louis Cardinals should trade for
3. Max Scherzer
This one’s a no-brainer, and potentially out of the Cardinals price range.
Yet, given they barely had to reach into their prospect pool to land Nolan Arenado, should they wish to make a major move before July, Scherzer fits the bill. He’d form an elite 1-2 punch with Flaherty when both are healthy, and is hungry for another World Series. He has a better chance at achieving that in St. Louis than Washington right now.
Scherzer is the type of talent who can carry a rotation come October, getting the ball every three days until his arm falls off if required. On the season, Scherzer has a 2.43 ERA in just over 69 innings pitched. He’d immediately become the Cardinals ace, even when Flaherty’s healthy. In the final season of his contract, Scherzer could potentially be had for cheaper than usual, too.