It's been well documented recently that the lack of starting pitching is what killed the St. Louis Cardinals postseason chances in 2023. For the first time since 2018, they find themselves on the outside looking in.
It's certainly uncharted territory for St. Louis, who usually find themselves in the mix for the postseason every year. Instead, they went 71-91 and finished in last place in the NL Central.
As such, they'll need to be very aggressive when it comes to addressing the holes in their starting rotation. They'll need three starters from outside the organization.
Some of the starters they may choose to target are with teams that are currently pitching for postseason teams. Certain pitchers in the postseason will be free agents by the time the World Series comes to an end, and it will be interesting to see how the market develops for said pitchers as the winter months approach.
The postseason performance of several of these pitchers might play a role in how their markets ultimately take shape. Either way, there are several viable starting pitchers playing on postseason teams that could potentially benefit the Cardinals in 2024.
St. Louis Cardinals pitchers to target: Jordan Montgomery
We'll start with a former Cardinal. Montgomery was acquired from the Yankees at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. This year, the Cardinals flipped him to the Texas Rangers for Tekoah Roby, Thomas Sagesse, and John King.
The veteran left-hander had a strong season with Texas and St. Louis, going 10-11 with an impressive 3.20 ERA over 32 starts. He also recently pitched a gem in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, helping Texas reach the ALDS for the first time since 2016.
Montgomery pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball and also struck out five batters against the Rays in his Game 1 gem. Between his time with the Rangers and Cardinals, he averaged 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings and just 2.3 walks.
He was the Cardinals most consistent starting pitcher before he was ultimately dealt to Texas at the deadline. Adding him back into the St. Louis rotation might not be a bad idea.
Montgomery has proven that he can pitch in the postseason, and the Cardinals need pitchers who are going to give them a chance to win in the playoffs going forward.
St. Louis Cardinals pitchers to target: Aaron Nola
Aaron Nola is another pitcher who the Cardinals could target this winter. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have already shown interest in Nola and Sonny Gray.
Nola is no stranger to St. Louis, having pitched seven scoreless innings against them on August 27 this year. He also pitched a gem in Game 2 of last year's Wild Card Series at Busch Stadium, which helped the Phillies knock out the Cards and advance to the NLDS, effectively ending the careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina in the process.
He threw six shutout innings against the Miami Marlins last night and got the Phillies back to the NLDS. Nola had a tough season, posting a 4.46 ERA in what could be his final year in Philadelphia, and that might make the Cardinals and other teams hesitate before making a move. But his high strikeout rate is something that could help St. Louis out tremendously as they look to return to contention next year.
Despite his high ERA, Nola still won 12 of his 32 starts during the regular season. If he can return to his old form, he could be the ace that the Cardinals have been so desperate for.
St. Louis Cardinals pitchers to target: Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray is another pitcher who would instantly qualify as the Cardinals ace if he were to sign in St. Louis. He gave the Twins five scoreless innings yesterday as they eliminated the Toronto Blue Jays for their first postseason series win since 2002. He also earned the win.
Gray, much like Nola, is a strikeout machine. The three-time All-Star averaged nine per nine innings this year. He is going to be 34 years old next year, which could mean that he may cost less than somebody like Nola in terms of money and years.
Gray had the second-best ERA in the American League, posting a 2.79 mark over 184 innings of work. He may be the Cardinals best option this coming offseason as they search for a new ace and other pitchers to replace Adam Wainwright.
The 33-year-old has a solid track record for pitching well in postseason games as well. After Wednesday's performance, he owns a 2.39 ERA in five postseason starts. The Cardinals need pitchers that will give them a better chance to win in October than what they currently have.
As of now, Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz are the only starters under contract for 2024 and 2025.