Cardinals John Mozeliak's next trade could be for a pitcher as washed up as he is

St. Louis Cardinals executive John Mozeliak is betting checks he cannot cash this winter. Whether the Cards want to consider their 2024-25 offseason approach a rebuild or a retooling doesn't matter, it ends the same way.

The Cards are open to trading away any and all valuable veteran assets, which includes Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray – though the latter has expressed a desire to stay. Arenado will eventually be sent elsewhere. Paul Goldschmidt is long gone, and has received interest from teams like the Tigers and Giants, respectively.

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St. Louis Cardinals could make a surprising addition this winter

The Cards aren't just selling, however. To keep the fanbase happy, Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom may bring in a big name or two, even if those players are a shell of their former selves. In a live chat with St. Louis Cardinals insider Derrick Goold, fans asked the Post-Dispatch writer about a Max Scherzer trade. Goold didn't rule it out, and the fit makes some sense as long as the Rangers take back some of his contract.

"I wouldn't rule it out entirely. The Cardinals have said they need to make a trade to make that move, and the starter who came up as a possible addition via free agency, according to a source, was Kyle Gibson. Cardinals have said they want to keep that door open. At the Winter Meetings, the team that really stood out as a possible landing spot for Scherzer was the San Francisco Giants. Not sure how appealing a 'reset' even a soft reset is to Scherzer," Goold wrote.

Scherzer is near the tail end of his career, as he's well over 40 years old. He only made nine starts last season in the Rangers rotation, posting an ERA of 3.95 and a K/9 of 8.3, both well below his career averages. Scherzer's contract is worth just over $12.5 million – or at least that's how much the Rangers are on the hook for – so he's somewhat affordable for a Cards team that ought to have money to spend.

Scherzer has won three Cy Young awards and would be a positive influencer on some of the younger pitchers on the Cardinals pitching staff. He also is another sign the Cards aren't serious about winning next season.

Adding Scherzer would allow Mozeliak and Co. to prove that they're both buying and selling this winter, even if one side of that scale outweighs the other.