3 Cardinals backup plans once Jordan Montgomery signs elsewhere

1. Cardinals can swing for the fences with Blake Snell signing

If the Cardinals want to swing for the proverbial fences, Blake Snell is still available. He has been connected to the Yankees, Angels, and Giants, but the 31-year-old's high asking price presents an ongoing hurdle for interested parties. Snell's agent, Scott Boras, is known to prioritize top dollar above all else in free agency.

The Cardinals probably took their hat out of the ring for Snell when Gray signed for $25 million annually. St. Louis is not a cash-poor franchise, but the Cardinals' payroll ranked 15th in the MLB last season. Since the Cardinals finished 71-91, last place in the NL Central, there's no reason to believe next year's squad will compete for a World Series. Mozeliak might have trouble convincing ownership to shell out a six or seven-year contract in the $200 million ballpark, which is where Snell's deal could end up.

Of course, it would appear most teams are concerned about spending too much on Snell. There's a chance the price dips into St. Louis' comfort zone. Consistency and availability are major concerns with Snell, but when he's on, he's one of the best pitchers in baseball. Last season marked Snell's second time winning the MLB's most prestigious pitching honor. He went 14-9 in 32 starts for the San Diego Padres, posting an NL-best 2.25 ERA and 1.189 WHIP. Snell's whiff percentage (37.3) was in the 98th percentile.

Snell also led the MLB in walks (99), but the talented lefty encourages too much soft contact and too many misses for that to be overly concerning. The Cardinals would have to factor in the risk variables with Snell, who went four years without an All-Star berth between Cy Young victories. His ERA has ballooned above 4.00 in two of the last five years. This was also Snell's first season since 2018 — when Snell won his first Cy Young — that he eclipsed 30 starts. Injuries are a persistent foe.

That said, there's no reward without a little risk in the MLB. Snell's ceiling is higher than any pitcher still available. If the Cardinals want to maximize their odds of landing a game-changing pitcher, Snell is the man.