For the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s a special time of year, as “Winter Warmup” is currently taking place in St. Louis, which serves as a great starting point to kick of the 2023 season.
Fans enjoy such a fun event as well, receiving autographs from their favorite players as they prepare for another exciting season of Cardinals baseball.
But things may be getting a little bit more exciting in St. Louis.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals appear to be one of the favorites to land Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez in a trade.
Lopez may be on the move after the Marlins signed veteran Johnny Cueto to bolster their rotation.
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Rosenthal notes that Lars Nootbaar may be the best fit in Miami if the Cardinals decide to trade from their surplus of outfielders.
However, the Cardinals do see great potential in Nootbaar and are unlikely to move him, with Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill being more likely trade candidates.
With Adam Wainwright set to retire at the end of the season and starters Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Montgomery set to enter free agency, St. Louis has only two starters, Steven Matz and Dakota Hudson, under contract for 2024, with Hudson being eligible for free agency by the end of the ’24 season.
Lopez is under team control for two more seasons and could be a perfect addition for the Cards.
If the Cardinals are to add a starting pitcher, it seems that a trade is more likely, as John Mozeliak made it clear that he wasn’t terribly active in the free agent market for starters.
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