Dream St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation if John Mozeliak’s gets creative
By Mark Powell
John Mozeliak has maintained the idea that adding two starting pitchers should be the St. Louis Cardinals top priority this offseason. The Cards rotation was a sore spot for them last season, and they traded away Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline.
“I think for us, our checklist is starter, starter, and then let's see what we look like,” Mozeliak said. “We do have some position-player talent and depth there. So, we also do want to explore the trade market just in case we aren't successful on the [free-agent market]."
In bringing the trade market to light, Mozeliak also made clear that free agency wasn't the only means for St. Louis to make such additions. Perhaps the Cards could acquire an ace via trade, and then fill out the rest of their starting five with mid-tier free agents. There are certainly ways the Cardinals could get creative all the while improving their on-field product.
“We certainly feel like we need at least two starters. I think we have some [bullpen] talent that we can arrange, but we're not going to close ourselves off to the reliever market. But we are going to take a more patient approach to that to allow other things to happen," Mozeliak added.
Thankfully, should the Cards add to their rotation via trade, they have stockpiled young talent in the outfield especially.
St. Louis Cardinals No. 5 starter: RHP, Clayton Beeter
The Cardinals were linked to Beeter last season around the trade deadline, as they scouted him in the Yankees farm system. Beeter doesn't have a direct path to New York per say, making this trade all the more likely. New York was interested in Dylan Carlson, a former top prospect who has flamed out in St. Louis. Carlson remains available! What am I missing?
This trade isn't a game changer for either team necessarily. Carlson would join the Yankees outfield mix, and this team still needs a left fielder. Beeter could be the back-end starter the Cardinals desperately need, and injects some young talent into the rotation. Beeter performed well at Double-A Somerset last season, and MLB Pipeline spoke highly of him:
“His high arm slot creates downhill plane and deception, and his ability to tunnel his pitches makes him even harder to hit. No Minor League pitcher who worked as many innings (77) as Beeter had as high a strikeout rate (15.1 per nine innings) in 2022.”
I, for one, do not see the harm in this trade for either team.