1 pitcher not named Max Scherzer the Cardinals should trade for right now

The St. Louis Cardinals should trade for a starting pitcher soon, even if that pitcher is not Max Scherzer.

Scherzer is the top starting pitcher on the market, and a St. Louis native, so it makes sense why his name would come up in Cardinals trade discussions. However, if the Cardinals decide the Nationals asking price is too high for a perennial Cy Young candidate, then they can turn to a few other options that could be available sooner rather than later.

The Tigers are ready to trade Matthew Boyd yesterday. Yes, Boyd has been available for quite some time now, with Al Avila perhaps finally willing to come down off his ludicrous demands for a pitcher that, while solid, is not a top of the rotation starter on a contending team. He’s solidly mid-tier, and on this Cardinals team, he’d probably fill in for Jack Flaherty nicely.

MLB rumors: St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Matthew Boyd

Boyd makes a lot of sense for St. Louis. He’s cheap, under contract through at least the 2022 season (pending arbitration), and out of division and league, meaning the Cardinals wouldn’t have to give up an overwhelming amount to acquire his services.

After trading for Nolan Arenado this offseason, and getting the Rockies to take on a large portion of his contract, it’s time to start paying attention to Mike Girsch as one of the better general managers in all of baseball. It’s safe to assume he could run laps around Avila, just as he did the now-fired Jeff Bridich.

Boyd has a 3.57 ERA through mid-June. He’s the ace of a Tigers staff with a rising Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal already on it. Such a trade makes sense for both sides, and it can happen tomorrow if the Cardinals like.