With the rumor mill churning and the likelihood that Cardinals' pitchers Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery will be traded before the August 1 deadline, it will be interesting to see who could be considered for a contract extension.
Flaherty and Mongomery are two St. Louis Cardinals who will become free agents at the end of this season. They are top of the list for potential trades in the coming days, hoping to get a considerable gain toward their goal of bolstering their roster for 2024.
John Denton of MLB.com reported the Cardinals are "still holding out hope that an 11th-hour long-term extension can be reached before Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the club's thinking."
Flaherty's presumed final game with the Cardinals came Wednesday afternoon. He pitched five innings giving up eight hits, two walks, and three earned runs. He had four strikeouts. Here's Flaherty speaking with media after the Cardinals' 11-7 victory Wednesday.
Flaherty confessed to thinking about the possibility of this being his final game with the Cardinals while acknowledging the business nature of the game and his getting traded is out of his hands.
According to Fansided's Scott Rogust, it's not likely the Cardinals make a deal with Flaherty to remain with the team before the deadline. Fansided's MLB Insider Robert Murray confirms this isn't likely. "I would be really, really, really, REALLY surprised if they extended Flaherty," Murray said.
With Flaherty and Montgomery likely gone before the trade deadline, this leads the starting rotation left with Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz. Wainwright is retiring after this season. Mikolas signed a two-year extension worth $40 million starting next season. Matz will be in the third year of a four-year deal worth $44 million. The rotation has received help from Dakota Hudson and Matthew Liberatore. Jake Woodford made spot starts before going on the injured list.
This season has not gone as expected for the Cardinals, who have a record of 46-57 sitting in last place. This trade deadline should be exciting to watch. But after the deadline, who can fans expect to get extension offers?
Jordan Hicks could be a post-deadline extension candidate
Remember when there were calls for Hicks to be designated for assignment after a terrible start to his season? After significant work behind the scenes, Hicks has become a go-to arm in high-leverage, closing situations.
In 40 games this season, he's pitched 41.2 innings and compiled a 1-6 record with eight saves. He has a 3.67 ERA with 59 strikeouts.
Hicks is a free agent at the end of this season and was believed to be one of the options the Cardinals could flip for prospects and pitching help. The talks of extending the pitcher could be seen as an award for keeping his head down and working out the issues he was facing at the beginning of the season. It also makes one wonder if the Cardinals were not receiving much interest in the young flamethrower.
If Hicks is extended and he stays on his track of becoming a strong closer, this could be a good move in the long run for the Cardinals, who seem focused on the future.
Giovanny Gallegos could be a post-deadline extension candidate
Gallegos is signed through 2024 on a two-year deal worth $11 million. The deal has a team option for 2025. The Cardinals may want to go ahead and reward Gallegos by locking him up with a longer-term deal with more money.
Gallegos has been one of the Cardinals' better options out of the bullpen this season, except for some inconsistency and bad luck. Gallegos is 2-4 with eight saves over 40 games out of the bullpen for the Cardinals. With a 3.86 ERA, Gallegos has pitched 42 innings with 41 strikeouts.
Gallegos has been a six-season veteran of the Cardinals bullpen. He has been entrusted in some big situations. Going ahead and extending him before possible free agency in 2025 could boost his confidence and allow him to be a leader out of the bullpen with Hicks.
Tyler O'Neill could be a post-deadline extension candidate
O'Neill has had a roller coaster of a season. He started the season healthy and ready to contribute. He was accused of not hustling hard enough to round third base on a rainy night. He spent several weeks on the injured list to return to become the everyday left fielder.
Since O'Neill's return, he does seem to have gotten back on the good side of manager Oli Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. O'Neill has made it to the non-trade list in hopes that he has a strong finish to his season.
O'Neill has one more season of team control and will be a free agent in 2025. If O'Neill were to finish out this season strong, continue to be a threat at the plate, and play with that Gold Glove-caliber defense in left field, the Cardinals should reward him. The Cardinals need a strong veteran presence in the outfield, and O'Neill can provide that, and signing a long-term deal with the Cardinals may give him that incentive.
Paul Goldschmidt could be a post-deadline extension candidate
Goldschmidt doesn't become a free agent until 2025, but if he can make it through this tumultuous season, he should be rewarded with a contract extension.
Goldschmidt has been mentioned as a possible trade chip in some interesting prognostications during this lead-up to the deadline. Mozeliak and the company have not intended to trade Goldschmidt, who also has a no-trade clause.
Goldschmidt has endeared himself to Cardinals fans as the reigning NL MVP, an All-Star and Gold Glove-caliber defender, and a bat that has already hit 18 home runs, 21 doubles, 64 runs, and 55 RBI. He has become a quiet clubhouse leader with Nolan Arenado since the departure of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols.
If Goldschmidt or Arenado were to leave at the trade deadline, it would signal the Cardinals are not just retooling for 2024 and beyond. Arenado is locked up through the 2027 season. While both have no-trade clauses, a move of these two would signal a full rebuild, which is something Mozeliak doesn't want to project.
Once this trade deadline is complete, the Cardinals should extend Goldschmidt and reward him for his strong leadership and MVP-caliber play.