MLB Rumors: Could Padres ace be a target for Cardinals?

Blake Snell is going to be one of the most sought-after pitchers this coming winter. The left-hander is at the top in the race for the NL Cy Young Award. In fact, he has the best ERA in all of baseball, posting a mark of 2.33 in his 31 starts.

Snell also has won 14 games and pitched 174 innings, while striking out 227 batters. There will be several teams in the mix for the left-hander this coming winter when he officially becomes a free agent.

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that will need pitching this offseason after a disastrous 2023 season. Could they be one of the teams that goes after Snell?

MLB Rumors: Could Padres ace be a target for Cardinals?

The pitching staff is what failed the Cardinals this season. Despite having obvious holes in the rotation and bullpen after being ousted from the 2022 postseason, the Cardinals elected to stick with what they had.

Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and Adam Wainwright all faltered, while Steven Matz is now out for the season and Jordan Montgomery was traded to the Texas Rangers. After the deadline, the Cardinals were forced to plug Dakota Hudson and Zack Thompson into their rotation.

St. Louis has already been eliminated from postseason contention and secured their first losing season since 2007. They may also finish in last place for the first time since 1990. However, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has been adamant that they need three starting pitchers from outside the organization.

To be clear, St. Louis needs at least one top-level starter, and Snell could be the one they chose to target, though reports from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch indicate that they already have Aaron Nola on their wishlist.

The 2018 AL Cy Young is averaging over 11 strikeouts over nine innings. St. Louis needs more swing-and-miss stuff in their rotation. One concern is that Snell is averaging five walks per nine innings, so that could be a red flag for St. Louis.

However, Snell would instantly be the ace of a Cardinals staff that has lacked one ever since Adam Wainwright's decline last September. He also brings great postseason experience to a team that will be looking to reach October for the fifth time in the last six years.

St. Louis will need to spend some money if they want to contend again, but Snell would be a solid piece to add.