St. Louis Cardinals rumors: This team is “extensively” scouting Cardinals pitchers for potential trade

The St. Louis Cardinals will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, and there are plenty of MLB rumors swirling about which teams could be looking at Cardinals pitchers Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery as potential pieces to add to their roster.

St. Louis Cardinals rumors: This team may be interested in making trades for pitching

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Tampa Bay Rays have been “extensively scouting Cardinals starters Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty.” With Tampa Bay needing to add to its roster to not only hold off the competition in the race for the top of the American League East, but also be stacked enough to compete with the Houston Astros and other AL titans in the postseason, the move for pitching makes sense.

Heading into Tuesday’s action, Tampa Bay’s starting pitchers, led by Shane McClanahan and Zach Eflin, had posted a combined 2.9 bWAR. That number put the Rays as the fifth-highest of all MLB teams in that category. With Drew Rasmussen lost for the season, shoring up the rotation in Tampa makes sense.

Nightengale also reports that the Rays “have engaged in trade talks with the (Chicago) White Sox about veteran Lance Lynn,” meaning Tampa Bay is casting a wide net when potentially acquiring a starting pitcher. However, Nightengale also notes that Chicago’s “asking price remains steep.” That means a pivot to the Cardinals could happen if St. Louis has more reasonable demands for its pitchers.

Of course, St. Louis will be asking its own price for those two starting pitchers, knowing the return could be a boost for a team that is looking to reload for a run in 2024. It’s clear that the St. Louis rotation could need a rebuild before that, and there are rumors about the Cardinals looking to possibly deal off position players in order to land controllable starting pitching as well.