Cardinals Linked To Massive Trade For $15.5 Million Rival Ace

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be quite active ahead of the trade deadline this season, but nobody really knows what their approach is going to be. The Cardinals have some trade chips they could deal away, but there are also some glaring holes to fill on the roster.

St. Louis could find themselves on the fence, which might push them toward selling some expiring players while buying on the controllable talent on the trade block.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel recently listed the Cardinals as one of the "best fits" in a massive trade for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. Passan and McDaniel noted they believe Peralta only has a 20 percent chance of being traded, though.

"Peralta has been a steady presence for years, averaging 140 innings pitched with a 3.49 ERA over the past four seasons," They wrote. "He's on track to do that again, with his heavily used fastball coming in at a career-high average velo of 94.9 mph this season. He has an ultra-cheap $8 million option for 2026."

This trade is a bit of a long shot, largely because the Brewers and Cardinals are directly competing for a postseason spot and division title at the moment.

But Peralta fits the Cardinals' future. He comes with a club option for $8 million in 2026, which would likely be picked up by whatever team has him on roster. With the addition of Peralta and another offseason to improve, the Cardinals would be in a much better spot than they are right now.

Again, it's not incredibly realistic but the idea of adding a controllable ace at the top of the rotation makes a lot of sense for St. Louis.