MLB Rumors: Could Cardinals be mystery team for one of remaining aces?

The St. Louis Cardinals received some tough news on Tuesday when it was announced that Sonny Gray had suffered a mild hamstring strain.

Fortunately, it doesn't appear to be too serious and likely won't be a long-term issue, but the veteran right-hander will more than likely miss Opening Day.

Could this leave the door open for the Cardinals to pursue another starter?

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted that the Cardinals could have been one of the four new mystery teams that reached out to Scott Boras about Blake Snell and former Cardinal Jordan Montgomery.

If Gray misses Opening Day, the Cardinals will need a top-level starter to fill in for the Cy Young runner up when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day.

Could Cardinals be "mystery team" for Montgomery or Snell?

Between the two remaining free agent starters, Montgomery would be the most likely fit for St. Louis.

The veteran left-hander was one of the Cards' most consistent starters during his time in St. Louis, posting a 3.31 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and 169 strikeouts over 184.2 innings of work. He was later traded to the Texas Rangers and helped them win a title last October.

He would certainly cost less than Snell, and the Cardinals are often very conservative with their budget.

Going against the idea, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has stated that as of now, he doesn't see adding extra pitching depth in free agency as a necessity. However, that should be taken with a grain of salt.

While it doesn't seem likely the Cardinals will pursue other starters, they are a team that likes to play their cards close to their vest and not comment on specific targets, and another move can't be completely ruled out.

It's also important to remember that back in 2021, Mozeliak declared Matt Carpenter the starting third baseman and shortly thereafter made the trade for Nolan Arenado.

Beyond Gray, the Cardinals rotation has a ton of question marks.

It would make perfect sense to go after Montgomery or Snell to bolster the rotation. That way, when Gray comes back, the Cardinals would have a World Series caliber roster.

We'll see if Mozeliak changes his tune on the Cardinals potentially adding more arms to the mix.