STL Cardinals Rumors: Logan Gilbert roadblock, AL East trade links, Dylan Carlson
By Mark Powell
STL Cardinals Rumors: Logan Gilbert trade won’t be easy
As much as John Mozeliak and the Cardinals front office may like what they see from Mariners 26-year-old right hander Logan Gilbert, it’s tough to see the M’s parting with him for anything short of a Brandon Donovan type.
Gilbert is at the forefront of the Seattle rotation. Sure, Luis Castillo and George Kirby offer them some stability should the Mariners lose Gilbert to add elsewhere on the roster, but his 3.65 ERA, 111-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .222 batting average against and 1.01 WHIP suggest he could be an All-Star caliber pitcher for years to come. Gilbert’s contract flexibility — he’s yet to enter arbitration — make it all the more tough to understand why Seattle would part ways with him.
What doesn’t help the equation for St. Louis is that the Mariners — a team that would be buying, in this instance — sits at .500 right now on the season. Will Seattle really want to trade one of their best young pitchers just for a slightly better chance to contend in the crowded AL West?
Mozeliak made it clear that the Cardinals are targeting pitching, and that “we’re going to trade people. I just don’t know if it’s going to be household names or more of the guys who aren’t likely to be here next year.”
But to acquire Gilbert from a fellow organization hitting the 2024 reset button this deadline, they’ll likely have to part with a similarly coveted asset.