Cardinals rumors: It’s time to swing big for some pitching by offering this prospect

The St. Louis Cardinals desperately need pitching help if they want to contend in 2023, but the team has several prospects they could exchange for pitching. 

The St. Louis Cardinals have a rotation with many questions that need to be answered.

Adam Wainwright is retiring after this season. Miles Mikolas has had several injuries and is in the final season of his current contract with the Cardinals. Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are in their last seasons of arbitration. The final spot in the rotation is an even bigger question with an answer expected during Spring Training.

The team still needs a consistently dependable option in their rotation.

Considering the number of top prospects in their system, the Cardinals should tap into the trade market.

Cardinals rumors: Could St. Louis trade Nolan Gorman to Guardians for Shane Bieber?

The Cleveland Guardians have the number 3 player in the MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now second baseman in Andres Gimenez. In 2022, Gimenez had an average of .297, 146 hits, 66 runs scored, 17 home runs, and 69 RBI. He walked 34 times and struck out 112 times. He will enter his third season this spring. Nolan Gorman hit with an average of .226. He had 64 hits, 14 home runs, 44 runs scored, and 35 RBI. He had 103 strikeouts and 28 walks. He will enter his second season this spring. Unfortunately, Gorman didn’t live up to fans’ high expectations for his arrival in St. Louis.

While Gorman could be a backup to Gimenez, he could also provide another option as a designated hitter. Gorman was initially drafted as a third baseman. This would allow him to replace Jose Ramirez at third base if he were to need a day off.

What would Bieber bring to Cards rotation?

In 2022, Shane Bieber was a Gold Glove-winning pitcher who threw 200 innings. In 31 games, Bieber had a record of 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 198 strikeouts.

Adding Bieber to the Cardinals’ rotation allows him to play in front of an infield that includes Gold Glovers Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, and Brendan Donovan. Bieber’s impressive numbers and play could only rise with a move to the Cardinals.

Bieber is currently playing on a one-year contract worth $10.01 million. He has one year of arbitration remaining and will be a free agent in 2025. This would be a great deal for St. Louis as they would get an innings-eating, strike-thrower under team control for two seasons. The team could convince Bieber to become a Cardinal long-term if he enjoyed playing for the team, finding a home with St. Louis.

Steven Matz, who dealt with injuries for most of the 2022 season, is the only current Cardinals starting pitcher signed beyond 2023. Getting aggressive and trading for Bieber could change that and the future of the rotation in St. Louis.