Could Cardinals Reunite With $56 Million Cy Young Winner?

Earlier this week, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted the St. Louis Cardinals would be buyers at the trade deadline. Reuter predicted the Cardinals would target starting pitching specifically.

One of the name's the Cardinals could target is their old friend, Sandy Alcántara. While Reuter didn't make the connection between Alcántara and the Cardinals, he did note that he believes the righty will be the Miami Marlins' top trade chip.

"Despite an 8.10 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 36.2 innings, Alcántara remains a high-profile potential trade chip who's still working to shake off the rust of a 2024 season lost to recovery from Tommy John surgery," Reuter wrote. "If he can string together a few quality starts, he could still be one of the prizes of the deadline."

If the Cardinals are going to target starting pitching, it'll be important to target controllable options. Alcántara has multiple more years of team control as well as comfortability in the Cardinals' organization.

The righty won the Cy Young a few years ago and has the potential to return to form this season.

But would the Cardinals pursue it?

I think it's a long shot. The righty hasn't been great since returning from Tommy John surgery. Given his history of dominance, he's going to be one of the more expensive players on the trade block. The Cardinals likely won't want to part ways with three or four of their top prospects to land the former Cy Young winner.

Either way, it's an option they could pursue. A reunion like this would get the fanbase excited because it would be a big step toward winning right now.