Cardinals: This trade could finally land St. Louis some pitching help

It’s no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals lack frontline pitching depth. The rotation is a mess with Adam Wainwright out, and fans deserve more.

The Cards rotation is a mess right now, especially with Adam Wainwright out due to injury. Jordan Montgomery, acquired at last season’s trade deadline, may be the best of the bunch at the moment.

Miles Mikolas, signed to an extension this season, has yet to pitch like an ace. Adam Wainwright is injured for the time being and on the IL.

St. Louis — should they be in contention — will look for a starting pitcher at the deadline. Thankfully, I’m here to provide solutions, even if they get me in trouble.

Could the Cardinals trade for Alex Wood?

The San Francisco Giants are on the outside looking in thanks to a crowded NL West. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are regular contenders, and aren’t going anywhere. The Giants, meanwhile, appear to be on a downswing.

Alex Wood is a capable pitcher who has a 1.17 ERA through two starts this season. He’s also coming off a downtrodden season in which he went 8-12 with an ERA over five. It would be smart for San Francisco to cash in now if they want to receive the most value in return.

Wood has made an All-Star team with Los Angeles in 2017, but since then is best-used as a middle-rotation starter at best. That’s exactly where he’d fit in St. Louis, were he acquired.

In Wood, the Cards receive a legitimate starter in a rotation that desperately needs innings-eaters. St. Louis has successfully traded for quality starters at the deadline the past few seasons. In this case, they’d be a little ahead of schedule.

San Francisco would cash in on Wood’s success early in the year and receive good value. Gomez is nearing the MLB level and a top-15 prospect, but at a position of depth for St. Louis. Zuniga is a reliever-in-waiting and organization depth for the Giants.