The St. Louis Cardinals already have a strong rotation, but they are interested in adding another big-time pitcher to their staff, according to a report.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi say the Cardinals have interest in trading for Cole Hamels or David Price, and that they also are interested in signing free agent Max Scherzer.
The Cardinals have Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Michael Wacha, John Lackey and Carlos Martinez in their starting rotation. However, Wainwright and Wacha are coming off injuries. Lefty Jaime Garcia is also coming off surgery, leaving the Cardinals with several question marks.
FOX says the Cardinals prefer to add a left-handed pitcher, which is why they have interest in Hamels and Price.
Hamels is believed to be available because the Phillies are rebuilding. Hamels is owed $90 million over the next four years. Multiple teams are interested in him, but Philadelphia’s price, as always, is high.
Price, a four-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner, was acquired by the Tigers in a midseason trade last year. He is entering his final year of arbitration and will be a free agent in 2016. The Tigers have not approached him about a contract extension, according to reports, which means they could be interested in trading him for the right price.
Scherzer is coming off another All-Star season for Detroit. He is the biggest name remaining on the free agent market, and his agent, Scott Boras, reportedly is seeking a $200 million deal for the prized pitcher. The Tigers have interest in re-signing Scherzer, while the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays are other teams said to have interest in the former Cy Young winner.
According to Rosenthal and Morosi, the Cardinals would likely have to make pitchers Carlos Martinez or Marco Gonzalez, as well as outfielders Randal Grichuk or Stephen Piscotty available for a potential trade.
Whether or not the Cardinals add a big-time pitcher remains to be seen, but one thing we know is that GM John Mozeliak is looking to make an upgrade.
