The St. Louis Cardinals were not expected to be in the postseason during the first week of June.
Yet, here we are.
The Cardinals have proven most of their doubters wrong, as they currently hold the second NL Wild Card spot heading into Friday’s action. Will their success last? Who’s to say with full confidence that Oli Marmol’s club can’t keep this momentum?
If the Cardinals find a way to stay in the postseason race within the next few months, they could make some roster upgrades at the trade deadline.
One pitcher they could look to make a trade for is a former Cy Young Award winner from the San Francisco Giants, writes Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly.
“Still, Chaim Bloom has built his name off of player development, so it seems unlikely he’s going to make any moves this summer that drastically worsen the club’s farm system,” Kelly wrote. “Adding a veteran starting pitcher on an expiring contract like Robbie Ray or the aforementioned [Jeffrey] Springs might be a good way for Bloom to buy without risking the future.”
Ray could provide the Cardinals with a boost of veteran experience in a fairly young clubhouse.
On the mound, he’s not nearly as dominant as he was in 2021 when he took home the Cy Young with the Toronto Blue Jays.
In 12 starts with the Giants, the left-hander has a 4.45 ERA with 59 strikeouts compared to 31 walks in 62.2 innings.
Given their struggles, the Giants should be looking to offload expiring contracts, and Ray fits into that category. He probably wouldn’t be what drives the Cardinals to a deep postseason run, but he should come relatively cheap in terms of trade capital.
