A Cardinals-Mets trade to boost John Mozeliak’s ego and nothing more

The St. Louis Cardinals have attempted to turn their disaster of a season around. They got off to one of the worst starts in baseball and it seemed like they were absolutely going to sell at the trade deadline.

But their stars have turned the tide, led by the veteran Paul Goldschmidt. With this quick turnaround comes the idea of changing the mindset in the front office as well. The management could turn their attention from selling their stars to buying new pieces to fit into their puzzle in St. Louis.

One spot that can be improved is in their rotation, specifically by buying a left-handed pitcher on the market because of their current five-righty rotation. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak could turn to the Mets to make a move for their starter Jose Quintana.

A Cardinals-Mets trade where John Mozeliak fills a hole in St. Louis' rotation

Jose Quintana is having a modest year for the Mets, which is impressive in itself considering the current state of the franchise. On the year, Quintana is boasting a 5.17 ERA, which is his worst season ERA in three years. Quintana was a member of the Cardinals in 2022 when he tossed an impressive 62.2 innings for the team.

He would work perfectly in St. Louis and the cost to acquire him would be much cheaper than a lot of the starters on the market.

Most of the time, multiple prospects are needed to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, but Michael McGreevy is a bit of a better prospect than most teams would toss at the Mets for Quintana.

McGreevy, the Cardinals 14th-ranked prospect, is having a bit of a down year, pitching to the tune of a 5.81 ERA in 11 starts. His hits per nine number is up a bit but he continues to show excellent command. He needs to continue to develop his arsenal in order to be a big-time big-league arm. As of now, he projects as an inning eater at the bottom of a rotation.

But this project pitcher could be worth more to the Mets than having Jose Quintana for the rest of his contract. Much more valuable for the Mets to have the chance of McGreevy working out than Quintana.

For the Cardinals, it would be worth it as well. They could take a chance that Quintana can revert back to the pitcher he was two years ago when given a new home. Oli Marmol needs a lefty in his rotation and Quintana could be the answer to that problem.