3 moves John Mozeliak can make to save Cardinals offseason

2) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by trading for Dylan Cease

If the Cardinals are unwilling to spend the major amounts of money it'll take to land a frontline starter in free agency, perhaps Mozeliak will turn to the trade market. The Cardinals have a glut of outfielders and could be looking to consolidate from a position of strength in order to improve a weakness.

The White Sox are a team that could be looking to sell of major parts of their team this offseason, and if they do, Dylan Cease will become a primary trade target for several teams. The right-hander is coming off a bit of a down year in 2023 but was a Cy Young finalist the season prior, and comes with two years of team control.

Even in his down year, Cease was able to make 33 starts, give the White Sox 177 innings, and strike out 214 batters. His ERA was a bit high, but part of that can be attributed to some bad luck playing for a dreadful White Sox team, as he had a 3.67 FIP. There's every reason to believe he'll get right back to ace status with a change of scenery, and the Cardinals should give him that opportunity.

The Cardinals are in a unique position of having several assets teams will want with no place to play them. Using these spare parts to help land the frontline starter this team is missing would help get St. Louis back into the postseason conversation.