St. Louis Cardinals rumors: Cards “mystery team” in Carlos Rodon chase?

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the St. Louis Cardinals are believed to be the “mystery team” that has joined the pursuit of free agent starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.

St. Louis Cardinals rumors: Cards interested in Carlos Rodon

Heyman tweeted out that the Cardinals are reportedly interested in acquiring Rodon, the 30-year-old southpaw who was a strength of the San Francisco Giants rotation in 2022. Rodon’s 2.25 FIP and 12 strikeouts per nine innings both led Major League Baseball, and his 2.88 ERA and 140 ERA+ led all Giants starters.

Rodon is the top free agent pitcher still remaining unsigned this offseason after Justin Verlander recently inked a massive deal with the Mets and Jacob deGrom earned a big payday with the Texas Rangers.

This isn’t the first time that Rodon and the Cardinals have been linked, dating back to conversations at last season’s MLB trade deadline before St. Louis landed Jose Quintana from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal. Quintana went on to become the starter for the Cardinals in the first game of the National League Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Adam Wainwright has declared he will return to St. Louis next season, and he will be a part of a rotation that could also include Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, and Steven Matz. Rodon would certainly elevate the front end of the St. Louis rotation and, if signed to a long-term deal, could possibly be an anchor for the Cardinals for years to come.

The price to sign Rodon, however, won’t be cheap. Reports say that Rodon is looking for a seven-year deal and the price tag might be $30 million per year. That’s a high price to pay, but the Cardinals aren’t the only ones interested in Rodon, with the New York Yankees and Giants working to land him as well.

After landing Willson Contreras as the team’s long-term answer at catcher, will the St. Louis Cardinals look to Rodon as a long-term answer on the mound?