The St. Louis Cardinals have outperformed their expectations this year. They were supposed to be entering a rebuild of sorts, but are right in the thick of the postseason chase.
Their trade deadline strategy is unclear. If they add, they likely won’t do anything crazy, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to add a piece or two.
Their starting rotation could use a little work, as beyond Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore, the rest of the rotation is struggling a bit.
Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated listed Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo as a trade candidate and had St. Louis as a possible fit.
“Lugo doesn’t strike out a ton of hitters, but he hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.60 since 2020 and quietly finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year while winning a Gold Glove to boot. The 35-year-old also fared well in two playoff starts last season,” Selbe wrote.
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The Cardinals might have to give up a few prospects to make this deal happen, which makes it a bit of a stretch. But Lugo would check a lot of boxes for them.
The 35-year-old former All-Star is 4-5 with a 2.93 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 14 starts with the Royals this season. He emerged as an unlikely ace last season for Kansas City.
He has been able to stay healthy and has adjusted to a starter’s role just fine after pitching the early portion of his career as a reliever. This would give St. Louis a true No. 2 starter to go next to Gray and could make them a dangerous team in the postseason if they can make it that far.
They have not reached the postseason since 2022, and adding a starter like Lugo could enhance their chances of making a push down the stretch this year.
It will be interesting to see how St. Louis operates at the deadline.
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