MLB Rumors: Major Ohtani surprise, Cardinals top targets, Yankees star connections
- Could the Los Angeles Angels actually keep Shohei Ohtani?
- The St. Louis Cardinals have 2 top pitching targets.
- The Yankees should be very active this offseason.
By Curt Bishop
MLB Rumors: Cardinals interested in pair of aces
Not unlike the Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals also had a very disappointing season. Picked by most to win the NL Central, they instead finished in last place with a record of 71-91.
What failed the Cardinals this year was their pitching. Their starting rotation faltered early, and they now need to fill three spots for 2024. Fortunately, the work appears to have already begun.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have already shown interest in Minnesota Twins ace Sonny Gray and Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola. The Cards are fortunate that the free agent market will be full of viable starters, many of whom could be considered aces, like Nola and Gray.
Nola is somebody the Cardinals are familiar with. He helped pitch the Phillies past the Cardinals in the Wild Card round last October, going 6.2 innings in Game 2 without allowing a run.
St. Louis is going to need to beef up its rotation in order to return to contention in 2024. They have not reached the World Series since 2013 and also have not won a title since all the way back in 2011.