Cardinals' rotation if they hadn't traded Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara

Several trades in recent memory have come back to haunt the St. Louis Cardinals. Some fans have pointed to the Adolis Garcia trade, while others have pointed to the Randy Arozarena deal. But the first domino fell long before either of those trades were made.

Back in December of 2017, the Cardinals were in desperate need of a power bat, and they got one when they acquired Marcell Ozuna from the Miami Marlins. Ozuna was a solid pickup for St. Louis, but he cost them more than they could have ever imagined.

Pitchers Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara were sent to Miami in that deal. Alcantara won a Cy Young with Miami in 2022 and Gallen helped guide the Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series last fall.

Here is what St. Louis' rotation could look like if they hadn't traded Gallen and Alcantara and perhaps chose different pitchers to trade.

What Cardinals' 2024 rotation could look like with Zac Gallen

Unfortunately, Alcantara is recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he wouldn't be in the fold this year. But the Cardinals would still have Gallen at the top.

Often times with the Cardinals, it's less about the trade and more about the players they traded in those deals. St. Louis could have sent Jack Flaherty, Daniel Ponce De Leon, or Austin Gomber to Miami.

But here is a look at what the rotation would look like in real time this year had they held onto Gallen and Alcantara.

Of course, with Alcantara recovering, the rotation would be down a big piece. But even with that, the Cardinals would have had Gallen as their ace entering 2024. They would have then needed to sign only two starters instead of three.

Likely, Sonny Gray would have still been signed, but they could have taken their pick between Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, both of whom have pitched quite well to start the season.

But you also have to go back a few years and look at some of the moves that were made after the deal that likely would not have been made as a result.

For starters, the Cardinals likely would not have needed to trade for Jon Lester and J.A. Happ at the 2021 deadline. They would have had Gallen, Alcantara, and a healthy Adam Wainwright at the top of their rotation. The following year, they likely would not have signed Steven Matz.

Fast forward to 2023 after Wainwright had been compromised due to arm issues, and the Cardinals may not have brought him back for one last season. Even if they had, they would have had a solid top three featuring the two aforementioned starters and Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery might not still be with the team, but the Cardinals would have been a contender last year and not had to trade him.

Even with Alcantara out, the Cardinals would have Gallen and Gray at the top and getting Alcantara back for 2025 would make the Cardinals serious threats for a title. Unfortunately, the team chose to trade away two valuable assets, and that came back to haunt them last year.