3 emergency backup plans Cardinals must trade for after Zach Eflin comes off the board

The St. Louis Cardinals have emerged from the rubble of the National League as serious playoff contenders. Behind a veteran squad, headlined by Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray, the Cardinals are right in the thick of things in the NL Wild Card race.

Before the trade deadline, St. Louis has been looking to acquire a starting pitcher. One of their top options was right-hander Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays, but on Friday evening, the Rays announced they would be sending Eflin to Baltimore for a package of three prospects. With Eflin off the board, St. Louis is going to have to pivot to another starter to fill out their rotation this season.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

3. LHP Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

With St. Louis in the market to buy, we have to look at who's in the market to sell and which players they're looking to deal. One team that is going to sell is the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ross Atkins kicked off his fire sale by dealing reliever Yimi Garcia to the Seattle Mariners on Friday evening. Beyond Garcia, the Blue Jays are looking to trade any player they have on an expiring contract.

One of those expiring players is their starting pitcher, lefty Yusei Kikuchi.

Kikuchi, 33, holds a 4.54 ERA in 21 starts this season. He's struck out 125 hitters over 111 innings for the Blue Jays.

He would be a cheap rental option for the Cardinals as they look to make a push this season. Not committing to having to pay him in years to come would give the Cardinals the freedom to pursue a much better pitcher in the offseason.

The current market for pitchers is quite expensive. Zach Eflin was recently able to net multiple top talents from the Orioles system and reliever AJ Puk was able to net the Marlins some top prospect capital from Arizona. If the Cardinals don't want to spend much while also upgrading their rotation, Kikuchi is the trade they should target.

2. RHP Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox

We've discussed a rather cheap (relatively) option for the Cardinals to pursue at the deadline. Now let's look at a pitcher that would cost them a bit more prospect capital while also not breaking the bank.

The pitcher I'm speaking of is the Chicago White Sox starter Erick Fedde. Fedde is almost guaranteed to be traded this season as he will never hold as much value in the trade market as he does right now.

Fedde, 31, is owed $7.5 million next season before entering free agency again in 2026. He's more expensive to acquire than he would be if he was a rental, but given his questionable track record, he shouldn't be impossible to pull from Chicago.

The righty has a 4.7 WAR, 2.98 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 20 starts in 2024. He's striking out nearly a batter an inning while also walking fewer batters than he ever has for a single season in his career. Fedde has somehow put together an impressive 7-3 record, which is even more impressive considering the state of the White Sox organization right now.

He's quite the ideal trade candidate for the Cardinals to pursue. They will likely be aggressively going after the White Sox righty in the coming days.

1. RHP Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers

This is the connection that everybody is going to make, especially those in St. Louis. It feels straight out of a Hollywood movie.

The reunion between the Cardinals and Jack Flaherty, a player who was drafted by St. Louis 10 years ago, would be exactly what they need as they go for a World Series push this season.

Flaherty, 29, is having one of the best seasons of his career. He sits on an expiring contract with the Detroit Tigers, which is the only reason he's available at the deadline. Flaherty and Tarik Skubal have formed quite the two-headed monster at the top of the Tigers' rotation.

In 106.2 innings in 2024, Flaherty holds a sub-1.00 WHIP, a sub-3.00 ERA and is striking out over 11 hitters per nine innings. It's his best season since his near Cy Young award-winning 2019 year with the Cardinals.

Bonus points for this idea because Flaherty may be very willing to resign with St. Louis in the offseason if he is traded back there. Yes, it's a rental on the surface, but with the history between these two clubs, the Cardinals would have a good chance to retain him in the offseason.