Cardinals: 3 trade deadline surprises that could await St. Louis front office

3) Cardinals trade deadline surprise: St. Louis is the “mystery team” for a starting pitcher

The Cardinals have survived this season with a battered starting rotation. Steven Matz and Jordan Hicks have combined to make only 16 starts. Jack Flaherty has missed even more time than they have. Because Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson, and Adam Wainwright have been reliable, the Cardinals are very much alive and possibly in the market for another big league starter.

The Cardinals have tried several options behind those three with a variety of results. Starting pitching is definitely something that cannot be ignored. The trouble with it is that nearly every team tends to get involved in the market for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. Injuries, poor performances, and making up for offseason errors are usually the cause.

Every time trade rumors season arrives, there’s always a “mystery team” involved in some big deals. The Cardinals have the makings of becoming the cryptic club behind this moniker at some point.

Maybe, if they’re lucky, it’s even in a trade for Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo. More likely, they look to get a deal down outside of the division. This could mean adding Frankie Montas to the rotation.

The Cardinals have dreams of postseason baseball in 2022. They can easily move Hicks back to the bullpen at some point or even do the same with Matz if he comes back and underperforms. There is room for another arm and a need for an upgrade over what they already have.