A move the Cardinals could make to respond to the Brewers’ Devin Williams trade

The Milwaukee Brewers seem to be in a better position now than they were earlier today.

Milwaukee completed a blockbuster trade, sending All-Star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees for fellow All-Star Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin. There are players available in free agency who could help fill the closer role now, but the Brewers added a much-needed starter and exciting infielder.

The Brewers won 93 games in 2024 and look to be in at least a similar position. Milwaukee lost Willy Adames but could replace his production at a fraction of the cost.

How will St. Louis Cardinals react?

St. Louis finished second in the National League Central standings in 2024 with 83 wins. There was a time when it looked like there was a chance the Cardinals would rebuild the roster, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, save for maybe a Nolan Arenado trade.

If the Cardinals are going to enter the 2024 season with a roster similar to the 2023 team, they should consider adding more pitching. While the club may not want to dish out a big deal, reuniting with bounce-back star Jack Flaherty could make sense.

He shined with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 with a 3.17 ERA across 28 starts. He is expected to land one three-year, $63 million deal this offseason by Spotrac. It’s not too much to ask for a hurler who could be St. Louis no. 2 starts behind Sonny Gray.

The Cardinals have already trimmed the payroll by declining Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson’s club options. Trading Arenado would lower the payroll even more. Some of that money should go toward signing Flaherty if the Cardinals want to have a chance to compete with Milwaukee.

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