Cardinals: 3 top-flight starters to trade for after Jack Flaherty injury news

St. Louis Cardinals trade target: Martín Pérez

Most people probably don’t think that Martín Pérez is a top-flight starter and before this season, he wasn’t. For the Red Sox last year, he had a 4.74 ERA in 36 games (22 starts) but with the Texas Rangers this year, he had made some giant leaps forward.

Pérez has made 17 starts and he is 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA (143 ERA+). He also has a FIP if 3.07, a 1.179 WHIP, and he’s averaging 2.2 walks and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Unlike Montas, he is a free agent after this season as he signed a one-year deal with Texas for $4 million this past offseason so he would be a rental. However, because he’d be a rental and has less of a proven track record, he would be cheaper to get in the way of a prospect return.

St. Louis Cardinals trade target: Noah Syndergaard

When he was healthy with the New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard was one of the best starters in all of baseball. In fact, in 2016, he was an All-Star, came in eighth in NL Cy Young Award voting, and came in 19th in NL MVP voting.

However, in 2020 and 2021, he combined to throw two innings in the majors, which made the Angels signing Syndergaard on a one-year deal not surprising. The amount ($21 million) was surprising, though.

But he has definitely pitched closer to what he was before but he hasn’t been as overpowering, as his strikeout rate has significant dropped. In 13 starts, he has a 3.84 ERA with a 3.83 FIP, a 1.166 WHIP, and an average of two walks and seven strikeouts per nine innings.