5 starting pitchers the Cardinals could trade for to rejuvenate their rotation

Pittsburgh Pirates v Washington Nationals | Mitchell Layton/GettyImages

While teams around the league are busy calling the St. Louis Cardinals regarding the many players they currently have on the trade block, Chaim Bloom is also exploring ways to upgrade the Cardinals via trade, not just sell.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported this week, down at the GM Meetings, that Bloom is looking into the price of starting pitching on the trade market right now, in hopes that the club can find a cost-controlled starter for their rotation before having to pivot to free agency. Goold mentioned various names on the market like Mitch Keller, Mackenzie Gore, Sandy Alcantara, and Edward Cabrera, but did not specify if the Cardinals have interest in any of them in particular. Goold has stated that the Cardinals are exploring many options, though, so I think it’s safe to say they are at least checking in on those arms.

Those four names do offer a very interesting landscape for the Cardinals to explore deals, along with another name that I want to throw into the mix. If guys like Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene, and Joe Ryan are moved this offseason, I do not see the Cardinals as fits for any of those arms. But to varying levels, each of the arms Goold mentioned, along with my wild card pick, could fit what St. Louis is looking for at varying price points.

If I had to bet, the Cardinals will likely sign a free agent for their rotation and acquire a less proven arm via trade, but there are real advantages to going this route, which I’ll get into. For St. Louis, getting a proven, cost-controlled arm who has upside could help them set a stronger foundation for 2026 and beyond than what they currently have. Sonny Gray could be on the move, but even if he stays, he’s likely gone after 2026. Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews, Tekoah Roby, and others are on the way, but the Cardinals don’t want to put too much pressure on them already.

All of that sets the stage for the possibility of a trade for a proven, cost-controlled starting pitcher, and I want to break down five candidates that fit that bill for St. Louis based on Goold’s reporting and my own thoughts. Buckle up, as this is a fun and creative exercise that the Cardinals may pursue.

RHP Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates

Intradivisional trades of this magnitude don’t happen often, but when timelines, needs, and the market align, they can happen. The more and more I think about it, the more I can see Mitch Keller being a fit for the Cardinals, and the Cardinals having a compelling offer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Keller, 29, is under contract with the Pirates through the 2028 season, and is set to make about $17 million in 2026, $18.5 million in 2027, and $20.5 million in 2028. Keller has been worth between $16.7 million and $25.8 million per season since 2022, and is one of the more underrated starters in the game today.

Keller certainly isn’t a number one starter, but likely profiles as more of a really good number three who adds more value due to the innings he is able to eat along the way as well. He’s not flashy, but he is good, and this certainly isn’t another Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, or Kyle Gibson situation.

Keller’s 4.51 ERA for his career won’t thrill anyone, but since 2022, that ERA sits at 4.15 with a 3.94 FIP and 3.98 xFIP while averaging 176.8 innings per season and 31 starts. Really solid production that is consistent and durable is not easy to find in today’s game. Keller would provide the Cardinals with a steady option for their rotation over the next three seasons, who will be making substantial but manageable money during that time.

The Pirates, who need to try and improve with Paul Skenes’ team-control dwindling, need a major boost to their offense and could seek to find some bats from St. Louis in return for Keller. In 2025, Pittsburgh ranked dead last in runs scored and slugging percentage and bottom three in batting average and wRC+.

Perhaps someone like Nootbaar or Gorman could be a part of this conversation, along with a little bit of prospect capital? Or maybe an upside position player prospect like Jesus Baez or Ryan Mitchell could headline the conversation? If Keller was not on a substantial contract already, I think Pittsburgh could get a lot more, but the money he’s due over the next few seasons is not cheap, and he’s good, but not great.

RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

Who doesn’t like a fun reunion story? It’s not a super clean fit in my opinion, but Sandy Alcantara is certainly someone the Cardinals could explore acquiring this offseason.

Cardinals fans are well aware of Alcantara’s history with the club. After being placed in the package that St. Louis used to acquire Marcell Ozuna following the 2017 season, Alcantara developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball, winning the National League Cy Young award in 2022 after posting a 2.90 ERA in 228.2 innings of work for Miami. Since then, Alcantara has struggled with both his performance and health, so any team acquiring him would be hoping to help him bounce back.

Are the Cardinals the right team for that? Eh, I’m not sure. Goold has brought up Alcantara’s name on a few different occasions, dating back even to the trade deadline. At the very least, that tells me there’s at least some interest from St. Louis, and perhaps they can get him in a deal that makes sense for both parties.

Nootbaar would be of some interest to the Marlins in this scenario. Their offense was pretty mediocre in 2025, and while Nootbaar has the same amount of club control as Alcantara, he would be far cheaper and presents them with some upside offensively in their outfield. Maybe someone like Nolan Gorman or some prospects in the Cardinals’ system could be of interest.

Personally, I don’t fully see the vision here for a deal, unless the cost to acquire Alcantara is too good to pass up. With the amount of money he is making ($17.3 million in 2026 and a $21 million club option in 2027), the Marlins aren’t in a strong position to ask for much, but I don’t really see them moving him without some interesting value in return. If the Cardinals want to take on most of the money and Miami is willing to take less for him, it could be an interesting gamble.

I do have a hard time believing it makes a ton of sense, though, with Alcantara’s deal coming to an end after the 2027 season. There is serious doubt about the status of that campaign, whether it will be shortened or lost completely due to a labor stoppage, so that puts the Cardinals in a weird spot when acquiring a guy like Alcantara.

RHP Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners

Here’s the name I wanted to throw into this mix. For years now, local and national media have looked at the Cardinals and the Seattle Mariners and wondered if there was a strong fit between the two sides. The Cardinals always seemed to have too many bats on their roster at the same positions, and the Mariners always had a ton of starting pitching but needed an upgrade to their lineup.

Now, the Mariners were actually really good at the plate in 2025, scoring the ninth most runs in baseball and ranking third in wRC+. Unfortunately for the Mariners, multiple key cogs of that offense are hitting free agency this offseason.

While Seattle could look to bring any of them back, 3B Eugenio Suarez, 1B Josh Naylor, and UTL Jorge Polanco are free agents this winter, and that leaves some sizable holes in their lineup. On top of that, Cal Raleigh just had one of the best offensive seasons by a catcher in MLB history, so it is fair to expect some regression there.

In my mind, someone like Bryce Miller would make a ton of sense for the Cardinals to acquire in return for either Brendan Donovan or Alec Burleson.

Miller, 27, is arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and won’t hit free agency until after the 2029 season. That’s four more years of club control remaining for the right-hander, who looked like one of the brightest young starters in the game until this past season.

In his rookie year in 2023, Miler posted a 4.32 ERA in 131.1 innings of work, and followed that up with a 2.94 ERA in 180.1 innings in 2024. 2025 was a rough one for Miller, as in his 18 starts, his ERA ballooned to 5.68, and he could not regain his success on the mound all season long.

With George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo in their rotation already, the Mariners can afford to move a guy like Miller and still have elite pitching depth. And after Kade Anderson fell to them in the 2025 MLB Draft, they have a new cost-controlled starter on the way sooner rather than later.

A swap could make a ton of sense for both sides, or perhaps the Mariners would be interested in a deal that involved someone like Nootbaar as the big league bat, but other pieces coming over to them as well. For the Cardinals, they snagged Matt Pierpont from Seattle last offseason to oversee their pitching development, so targeting a guy from the Mariners makes a lot of sense.

RHP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins

Like the Mariners, the Miami Marlins have long been connected to the Cardinals in a swap of bats for arms, and right-hander Edward Cabrera has been a frequent name in those ideations.

While Alcantara may be an odd fit in terms of the salary he carries and how bad he’s been lately, Edward Cabrera is coming off arguably the best year of his career, and with two years of control remaining, could be a very interesting arm for St. Louis or other organizations to target.

In 2025, Cabrera started 26 games for the Marlins, posted a 2.53 ERA with a 25.8 K% and 1.23 WHIP. Cabrera has always had great stuff, but now he’s figured out how to control it and get batters out at a high clip. Assuming Gray is gone next year, Cabrera would be the Cardinals’ top starter in 2026 and could be a long-term fit for their rotation.

Edward Cabrera's 9th, 10th and 11th Ks. 😲 pic.twitter.com/d8PEiLSYPK

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2025

Just 27 years old, Cabrera mostly relies on a sinker, curveball, and change-up to get outs, with those two offspeed pitches and his slider being positive pitches in his arsenal. His sinker and four-seam fastball are very hittable, and if an organization can refine those further, he’d be even tougher to face moving forward.

While Donovan or Burleson could represent a potential swap situation, I could also see Miami being interested in a combination of a bounce-back bat like Nootbaar or Gorman on top of some nice prospect capital to get this done. Outside of 2025, Cabrera lacks the kind of production needed to really fetch a haul, but the improvements we’ve seen and the stuff he possesses make him a very interesting target.

While Miller makes more sense in my eyes due to the four years of team control, Cabrera may be easier to swing a deal for. My main question mark is whether or not it makes sense to target him with just two years of control remaining, barring a long-term deal getting done upon being acquired. Like all deals, it’s hard to say whether or not the Cardinals should pursue him unless we know what the cost will be, but at the very least, he’s someone they should be closely monitoring.