3 Cardinals trade targets to already dream about and 1 to definitely avoid

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 03: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Max Scherzer #21 of the New York Mets in action against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on September 03, 2022 in New York City. The Nationals defeated the Mets 7-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

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Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

St. Louis Cardinals Trade Target: Shane Bieber

Bieber would be a fun addition to the Cardinals’ pitching staff as he is in the middle of a one-year $10.01 million contract, has one more season of arbitration, and won’t be a free agent until 2025.

He’s started eight games for Guardians this season and accumulated a 3-1 with an ERA of 2.61 over 51.2 innings. He has 39 strikeouts this season with a called strike plus whiff rate of 28.9%. He throws a fastball that averages 91 mph and a slider that averages 84.5 mph.

Beiber also isn’t a typical pitcher the Cardinals would seek, but he does have a ground ball rate of 46.8 percent. It would be fun to see Beiber in front of a Gold Glove defense that includes Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, or Paul DeJong.

Beiber’s been in the league for six seasons and has thrown 754.2 innings and 870 strikeouts. Those are impressive numbers the Cardinals could benefit from having on staff. It would be a good move for the team seeking to improve their rotation.

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