Cardinals big trade deadline upgrade could be a reunion to bolster rotation

Don't look now, but the woe that St. Louis Cardinals fans were feeling deep within early in the 2024 season and basically for all of the 2023 campaign might be subsiding. After a Friday win in Wrigley, the Cards are now 34-34 on the season, slotting them in second place in the NL Central (5.5 games back of the Brewers) but also with a 0.5-game lead for the final NL Wild Card spot.

With the MLB Trade Deadline now just over a month away, the plans may be swiftly changing for the Cardinals and John Mozeliak may need to be working the phones as a buyer rather than a seller. If you'd have told a fan inside Busch Stadium that in early May, those might've been fighting words, but here we are.

The big question is what St. Louis would be eyeing at the trade deadline if they are indeed buying. That's a question that former MLB GM Jim Bowden answered for The Athletic ($), however, as he broke down the deadline approach for all 30 teams and named a "proven starting pitcher" as the top priority for the Redbirds.

And that makes another MLB insider's input that much more intriguing as a possible reunion could be on the table.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals trade to reunite with Austin Gomber on table?

Insider Jon Heyman for the New York Post recently named his best guesses for trade candidates' landing spots and, among the listed players, was Colorado Rockies southpaw Austin Gomber. And as fate would have it, the best fit listed was the St. Louis Cardinals.

That would be a fascinating addition for the Cards, starting with the fact that Gomber was initially drafted by St. Louis in 2018 out of Florida Atlantic and came up through the organization. He pitched in 43 games for the club in 2018 and 2020 with a mix of starts and relief appearances. But he was eventually shipped to the Rockies as part of the Nolan Arenado trade prior to the 2021 season.

Now, we all know that pitching home games at Coors Field doesn't help anyone but Gomber has put up decent numbers all things considered. In 13 starts this season, the 30-year-old left-hander has a 4.26 WHIP and 1.32 WHIP. Impressiely, he's actually posted a better ERA at home than on the road this season but an awful outing in Minnesota plus a 4.25 xFIP on the road shows that he's been better than his road ERA north of 5.00 overall.

There are two complicated matters that could make a reunion with Gomber difficult for the Cardinals, however. For one, he has two years remaining of club control. That could drive up the price in any trade, which might not be Mozeliak's preferred operation when it comes to the deadline. But perhaps more importantly, the Rockies are notorious for holding onto players when they probably should be sellers on the trade market.

If nothing else, though, the Cardinals should at least explore this possibility. In 14 games (four starts) back in 2020, he had a stellar 1.86 ERA and 1.17 WHIP for the season. He's an arm the organization should largely be familiar with and may still have untapped potential playing outside of Coors. With the major caveat of if Colorado is willing to move him, Gomber could absolutely be an upgrade for the middle-back of the rotation as the Cardinals aim for a playoff push.