Cardinals Suddenly Linked to Potential Trade for Star Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals should be looking to upgrade their roster this offseason after their tough finish to the 2026 season.

One area that the Cardinals should be aiming to address is their pitching rotation. It would be wise for the Cardinals to add a high-impact starting pitcher if they hope to be a more legitimate threat next season. Due to this, they are now being linked to one of baseball's top offseason trade candidate pitchers.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller named Los Angeles Angels star pitcher Reid Detmers as a "prime" trade target for the Cardinals this offseason.

"Upgrading the third base situation is presumably also on their to-do list, but adding an Opening Day starter would be huge. And they've restocked their farm system to such a degree over the past two years that they surely have the prospects necessary to make it happen," Miller wrote. "Prime Target: Los Angeles' Reid Detmers (two years of arbitration eligibility, estimated at $7.5M in 2027)."

With the Cardinals in need of another star pitcher, it would be huge for them to land a starter like Detmers. He would be a perfect fit on a retooling team like the Cardinals. This is because he is right in his prime at 27 years old and under team control for multiple more years. Thus, he could be exactly the kind of pitcher the Cardinals build their rotation around if acquired.

Detmers is coming off a very good 2026 season with the Angels. Although he had a 7-8 record on a bad Angels team, he also had a 3.36 ERA and 211 strikeouts. With numbers like these, he would be a major pickup for the Cardinals if brought in. It will be interesting to see if they can strike a deal for him because of it.