Cardinals most vital trade deadline addition won’t be Juan Soto

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty to improve upon at the trade deadline. While Juan Soto would be a nice addition, he’s not at the top of their list.

As stunning as that may be to hear for some fans, Soto doesn’t solve most of the Cardinals’ biggest problems. In fact, St. Louis most glaring need is pitching, especially with Steven Matz and Jack Flaherty out for the foreseeable future.

Matz suffered a small tear in his MCL, and will be out for several weeks. Flaherty is on the 60-day IL and likely an afterthought for the rest of the regular season.

What does this mean for the Cards? Well, St. Louis has a game advantage on the Phillies for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League, and are 2.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central as of this writing. They are literally holding on by the skin of their teeth.

Cardinals trade deadline plans must involve more than Juan Soto

If this team hopes to make the playoffs, improvements must be made to the pitching staff, with or without Juan Soto.

Frankie Montas, Tyler Mahle and more have been linked with the Cardinals in recent weeks. All makes sense given the overall trajectory for this team, and the fact that they aren’t rentals.

Then, the Nationals starting shopping Soto.

As talented as he may be — some have dubbed him the next Ted Williams — Soto will only take the Cards’ offense to new heights. Unless he can pitch as well, St. Louis will still struggle to make much of an impact in the postseason.

The Cardinals are expected to be amongst the most active teams at this year’s trade deadline. Pitching has to be at the forefront.