4 Cardinals offseason mistakes so far, and how to fix them

Pitching help is needed, and the Cardinals can make a trade to improve

One trade opportunity linked to the Cardinals’ need for pitching is that of Pablo Lopez of the Miami Marlins.

According to FanSided’s Scott Rogust, the Cardinals have the talent available to get the deal done, with Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore being the prominent names. Gorman could benefit from joining the Marlins, managed by former Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker. He would likely gain a lot from working with former Cardinal and Marlins’ new first base coach Jon Jay. Liberatore would join Gorman, a childhood friend, and get a change in scenery he could benefit from.

Lopez would be an ideal fit for the Cardinals. While he was 10-10 in 32 starts for the young Marlins, he threw 174 strikeouts over 180 innings. He has a career ground ball rate of 47.8 percent. Lopez would greatly benefit from the Cardinals’ elite infield defense behind him in Arenado, Edman, and Goldschmidt.

Lopez is under team control until 2025, when he becomes a free agent. Matz is signed through 2025 and doesn’t hit free agency until 2026. Lopez could become a solid piece to the Cardinals’ rotation in the future.