The St. Louis Cardinals will likely target right-handed starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Zach Eflin at the trade deadline according to MLB reporter John Denton. Either one of the veteran starting pitchers would fill the hole the Cardinals have in their rotation from the disappointing season of Steven Matz.
The Cardinals will ‘likely target’ Nathan Eovaldi and Zach Eflin at the deadline, per @JohnDenton555 pic.twitter.com/aMMncsSw82
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 20, 2024
Eovaldi and Eflin Rumored to Draw the Cardinals’ Interest
Both starting pitchers are coming off of solid 2023 campaigns. Eovaldi was a key part of the Texas Rangers’ World Series win last season. Eovaldi started two games in the Fall Classic against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the first game and the last. He gave up five runs in the first game in five innings, but the Rangers ultimately won. He then pitched a shutout into the sixth inning in the Rangers’ series-sealing game five.
Eovaldi was an All-Star as well in 2023. He went 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 25 regular season starts. He is 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 17 starts in 2024.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Eflin was sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2023. The righty was 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 31 regular season starts. In 2024, Eflin is 5-7 with a 4.14 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 17 starts.
If Eovaldi pitches 57 more innings this year, his contract extends to 2025 with a $20 million base salary for the season. Otherwise, he becomes a free agent. Eflin is signed through 2025 with a $7 million raise coming next year to bring his base salary to $18 million.
Cards Need Another Starter
The Cardinals entered the season expecting Matz to be their end-of-the-rotation starter. However, he has been on the IL since early May. Matz suffered a setback to his rehab in June and is not expected to be healthy enough to pitch until mid-August. Matz was 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA in six starts before his injury.
Left-handed pitcher Andre Pallante has performed admirably in the role of the fifth starter. In eight starts, Pallante is 4-3 with a 3.70 ERA this season.
“Clearly as we look at our rotation, obviously Pallante has done a nice job, but if there’s something else we can enhance we want to think about it,” said Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak in mid-June.
What the Cardinals Would Give Up
Denton reported that some of the prospects the Cardinals acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline will be in play for any possible trades the Cardinals make. Seven of the prospects the Cardinals received for Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, and Jordan Montgomery are on the organization’s top 30 prospect list. That includes infielder Thomas Saggese and right-handed pitcher Tekoah Roby who are fourth and fifth on the list respectively.
The Cardinals also have several young players on the 40-man roster who can fit into other teams’ active rosters and could be on the trade block. Former highly touted prospects Dylan Carlson and Jordan Walker, both currently in the minors, could be interesting trade pieces for teams as the Cardinals get healthy and the outfield gets more crowded.
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