It's a well-known fact the St. Louis Cardinals were interested in Aaron Nola. Since the end of the 2023 NLCS, John Mozeliak and St. Louis were targeting Nola, along with a number of other starting pitchers. Mozeliak and the Cards prefer to add at least two starters to the mix this offseason.

However, over the last few weeks, Mozeliak has started to backtrack some from his comments, or at least add a slight caveat. That is, the Cards don't have to acquire their entire rotation in free agency. Instead, Mozeliak expects to be active via trade, and perhaps finding creative solutions for starting pitching rather than spending the entire payroll on it. This season's pitching market is considered relatively weak compared to most winters.

The Cardinals were never going to give Nola a $30 million AAV, which was his reported asking price prior to signing with the Phillies for less. A seven-year deal was also a little long for Mozeliak's liking. While Nola did not work out, it's early enough in the offseason for the Cardinals to find starting pitching, and even an ace-caliber player. It just won't be Nola.

St. Louis Cardinals should sign Jordan Montgomery after missing on Aaron Nola

Jordan Montgomery is the easy answer for the Cardinals. Montgomery was traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline, only to win a World Series in Arlington. It was the perfect rental success story.

However, the Rangers have maintained interest in Montgomery this offseason. They have plenty of money to spend, and will surely offer Monty a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball.

The Cardinals hold a slight edge over other interested teams in that Montgomery is familiar with their clubhouse culture, and they believed in him from the jump. St. Louis traded Harrison Bader -- then one of the top defensive outfielders in the NL -- to the Yankees in exchange for him. FanSided's Robert Murray discussed the obvious fit in St. Louis just a few weeks ago:

"Jordan Montgomery will be expensive, especially as he continues to pitch like a frontline starter for the Texas Rangers. But the Cardinals know Montgomery, have actively pursued left-handed pitching in recent seasons, and ultimately acquired the left-hander from the New York Yankees for outfielder Harrison Bader at the 2022 trade deadline...It would not be a surprise to see the Cardinals pursue Montgomery again this winter, and a reunion makes total sense for both sides," Murray wrote.

Montgomery will be costly -- arguably Nola prices -- but he's a pitcher the Cardinals know better and can rely on.

St. Louis Cardinals should sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto as Aaron Nola backup plan

While Yamamoto is a bit of an unproven commodity at this point in his career, the NPB star is just 25 years old and has won multiple Sawamura's, which is essentially their Cy Young award. Yamamoto's connection to Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar was well noted, as the two Team Japan WBC stars were seen golfing just last week. Nootbaar has nothing but good things to say about the culture in St. Louis. Having a friend on the team can only help matters.

"I want to help Yoshi in any way that I can," Nootbaar said. "I don't know about the legality of it, and I don't want to step on any toes, but if Yamamoto or any of the guys have questions, I want to be there to help."

The Cards were only of dozens of teams to scout Yamamoto last season in Japan. St. Louis liked what they saw, and they will be one of several teams vying for his services once Yamamoto is posted, which could happen as soon as Monday.

St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Tyler Glasnow

The St. Louis rotation lacks swing-and-miss stuff, and Tyler Glasnow brings just that. Of course, there are obvious concerns with trading for an oft-injured pitcher like Glasnow. The Cardinals do not have a deep pitching staff, so they cannot necessarily afford an injury to their top arm. However, in adding a couple of top-level starters, this article is written under the premise that the St. Louis rotation will look much different at the beginning of next season.

Glasnow is very much available, as the Rays do not want to pay him his arbitration money or eventually sign the right hander to a long-term contract. Despite Glasnow's ability to make opposing lineups look silly every five days, the Rays do not trust his ability to stay healthy enough to make him a multiyear offer in his price range. That's respectable business, especially for a Rays team which resides in a smaller market.

However, for an organization like the Cardinals hoping to return to prominence behind a revamped rotation, trading for Glasnow is a more attractive option than signing multiple ace-level starters to huge deals.