MLB Trade Rumors: Cardinals Targeting 2 Notable Starting Pitchers in Trades

The St. Louis Cardinals are holding onto the second Wild Card spot in the National League, despite a starting staff that sits 21st in baseball with a 4.40 ERA and 23rd in batting average against. Not to mention a rotation that averages 35.5 years of age for their top four starters.

It's no surprise, then, to hear that the Cardinals will be targeting starting pitching over the next week and a half leading up to the trade deadline on July 30. John Denton of mlb.com has heard from his sources that two notable pitchers will be targeted by St. Louis.

The Cardinals will 'likely target' Nathan Eovaldi and Zach Eflin at the deadline, per @JohnDenton555 pic.twitter.com/aMMncsSw82
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 20, 2024

Zach Eflin

We revealed earlier this week that Eflin is quickly becoming a strong trade candidate from the Tampa Bay Rays. The team has recently added top prospect Shane Baz back to the rotation after a two-year absence, and Jeffrey Springs is following close behind in the coming week. Next year, they'll have Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen back to full-time duty as well. The 30-year-old Eflin, and his $18 million owed next season, is very expendable for the Rays.

Nathan Eovaldi

The 34-year-old has had two strong seasons for the Texas Rangers, and went 5-0 in the postseason last year in helping lead the Rangers to the World Series championship. He's currently sitting with a 3.36 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, along with a 94:26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, all numbers that surpass his 2023 regular season stats.

Whether the Rangers will be willing to let him go is another question, as the defending champs sit five games back in the AL West, though 7.5 games behind in the Wild Card chase. They are expecting Jacob deGrom back at some point in August (for how long, who knows?), so perhaps that gives them some confidence to trade Eovaldi?

The Cardinals, however, are all-in to try to make a run, and will be looking to fortify their rotation with either of those names, or others if necessary.