MLB rumors: Biggest threat to Cardinals in Max Scherzer trade sweepstakes

The St. Louis Cardinals need pitching help desperately, but if they don’t act soon they could lose the best starter on the market to another NL contender.

The Cardinals are without Jack Flaherty for the time being, and perhaps longer than initially anticipated. With their ace on the mend, the Cards have lost eight of their last ten, including a defeat the hands of the rival Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Suddenly, they’re in third place, four games behind the Cubs in the NL Central.

So, what should the Cardinals do?

They have the farm system talent to trade for Max Scherzer, should the Nationals be interested in such a move. Scherzer will be a free agent at the end of this season.

MLB rumors: Braves could steal Max Scherzer away from Cardinals

The Braves and Cardinals are far from the only teams dealing with pitching woes. Scherzer makes sense for both, as the ace in St. Louis, and an addition to an Ian Anderson-Max Fried dominated rotation in Atlanta. Scherzer is having a better season than either of those two, despite Anderson’s 3.26 ERA.

It would take a lot to acquire Scherzer. The Cardinals still have plenty of young talent after barely lifting a finger in the Nolan Arenado trade. The Braves, meanwhile, have both Drew Waters and Cristian Pache in their farm system.

The Braves have remained stagnant for most the season, sitting four games behind the New York Mets in the NL East and two games below the .500 mark. They’ve lost Marcell Ozuna, perhaps for the rest of his career, due to allegations of domestic violence.

So, both Atlanta and St. Louis are gearing up for major moves before the deadline, or they will be forced to admit defeat before August even begins. That…feels unlikely. Scherzer is the best trade chip available.

Let the games begin!