The Cardinals may not be close to the playoffs this year, but they’re also not starting from scratch. At 72-75, St.
Louis sits three games under .500 and will be watching October from the outside for the fourth straight season unless something wild happens down the stretch. Even so, this season has pushed the club a step forward, with a handful of young pieces beginning to look like real building blocks.
JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson are part of that core. Leo Bernal and Joshua Báez have also impressed since reaching the majors.
Iván Herrera belongs in that conversation too, though his long-term position is still up in the air. On the pitching side, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy should all have a place in next year’s rotation, at least for now.
Riley O'Brien has been uneven in the second half, but he still figures to help this team moving forward, and Gordon Graceffo and Justin Bruihl have both been solid.
That foundation matters because St. Louis has real room to grow, and a strong farm system to feed it.
Liam Doyle and Jurrangelo Cijntje are among the intriguing starters worth tracking as more young players move up. But the Cardinals also have obvious needs, and the winter plan should be clear: upgrade the bullpen and bring in at least one proven veteran starter.
That’s why Atlanta deserves a hard look. On Thursday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand added Spencer Strider to a list of players who could be traded this winter, and he didn’t stop there.
Feinsand reported that the Braves tried to send Strider to the Texas Rangers this summer in a contract swap for Jacob deGrom, but deGrom blocked the deal with his no-trade clause. Feinsand wrote, "The Braves tried to send Strider to Texas in a contract swap trade for Jacob deGrom before the Trade Deadline, and although deGrom blocked the deal with his no-trade clause, it’s clear that Atlanta is open to moving its former ace," Feinsand wrote.
"Strider has been out since mid-June with right elbow inflammation, and while it’s unlikely that he will return this season, there is an outside chance he could be available out of the bullpen during the postseason."
Strider comes with plenty of risk. He has made only eight starts this season and just 33 total appearances over the last three years, with injuries interrupting what had looked like a fast-rising career.
But the ceiling is still obvious. From 2021 through 2023, he posted a 3.37 ERA in 65 outings and made an All-Star team, and in 2022 he logged a 2.67 ERA in 31 appearances.
He’s also only 27.
The contract is another reason he stands out. Strider is owed $22 million per year for the next two seasons, with a $22 million club option in 2029.
Because of the injuries, his trade value is lower than it once was, which could give St. Louis a chance to buy in at a discount.
The Cardinals have done a good job keeping starters healthy in recent years, and if they could get Strider right, he could give them the frontline arm they still need.
In Other News...
Braves Add Catching Depth As Their October Plan Gets More Interesting
The Braves added a familiar type of late-season insurance on Sept. 1, signing catcher Eric Haase to a minor league contract and sending him to their Florida complex. It is the kind of move contending clubs often make when the calendar flips into September, especially with postseason roster flexibility in play and every position on the bench carrying a little more weight.
Haase gives Atlanta another experienced option behind the plate and a bat with some pop, even if his profile has long come with plenty of swing-and-miss. He has already been with three organizations this season, including the Giants and White Sox, while the Braves still appear set to lean on Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy as their catching duo for now, leaving Haase as a depth piece who could become more relevant if the October picture shifts. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Outfield Uncertainty May Not Last As New Internal Options Emerge
The Braves outfield picture has been murky enough that it has become one of the easier roster questions to circle on the calendar. Between the players already under contract and the free agents in the mix, the short-term answer is still hazy, but the organization is not short on internal candidates who could eventually help smooth it out. Eric Hartman, AJ Gracia, Carter Beck and Owen Carey all stand out as names worth tracking, and each brings a different kind of fit for the outfield or designated hitter picture.
What makes the situation more interesting is the timeline. Atlanta may not need all of those answers right away, but the next year and a half could be enough for one or more of these prospects to push into real consideration. If even a couple of them keep trending upward, the Braves current uncertainty in the grass could look a lot less like a long-term problem and more like a temporary bridge to the next wave of homegrown depth. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Took Another Hit To Their Pitching Depth
The Braves lost another arm from their pitching inventory when the Giants claimed right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco cleared a spot on its 40-man roster by designating Spencer Bivens for assignment, while Atlanta is still trying to manage its own staff with Bryce Elder landing on the injured list and Reynaldo Lpez returning from the injured list.
For a club trying to stay geared toward October, every piece of depth matters, and Davitt had at least given the Braves another option to keep on hand. The move comes as Atlanta continues shuffling arms to cover the present while keeping an eye on the postseason, leaving the organization with one fewer fallback as the stretch run tightens. [Read more 🡒]