St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Aaron Nola link is very real

It's been a relatively down year by Aaron Nola's standards with the Phillies, as he has an ERA over four. This is all in spite of a dominant outing against the St. Louis Cardinals his last time out, when he allowed no runs over seven innings pitched. It was some of the best stuff we've seen from Nola this season, something he ackowleged postgame.

"I hope so," Nola said. "I feel good, the body feels really good -- all physically and mentally. Hopefully I keep it going. I'm just going to have a good work week this week and stay healthy in September. … I'm getting ahead. I'm throwing better pitches. The defense played really good behind me. I'm going deeper in the game, [getting] early outs."

The reason Nola's start against St. Louis is so relevant long term is that they're expected to be interested in him this offseason. The Cards need starting pitchers, and with Nola set to hit the free-agent market this winter, St. Louis could be a destination of choice. FanSided MLB Insider discussed the possibility of a Nola-Cardinals fit a few weeks ago:

"Leading into the regular season, Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies were engaged in contract extension talks. Ultimately, no deal was ever close to being consummated, and the right-hander went into a contract year with no long-term deal in place. It was a risk by Nola, of course. But it was also a risk for the Phillies, who risked Nola further establishing himself as a premier right-hander, and further bolstering his value ahead of free agency...If the Cardinals are to land a higher-end starting pitcher in free agency, a name that makes a LOT of sense for them is Jordan Montgomery. A reunion between the two sides is one to watch."

So, inevitably, Murray believes the Phillies ace will end up back in the city of brotherly love, but where there's smoke, there is usually fire. Bob Nightengale named Nola as one of several aces on the Cardinals wish list this coming offseason. They'll be in the bidding war, at the very least.

St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Shota Imanaga is a name to watch for 2025

While St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak is expected to add some starting pitching in 2024 free agency, they team's scouting department has one eye on the 2025 class. Namely, Shota Imanaga of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars has been scouted by nine MLB teams of late, the Cardinals among them. Imanaga isn't available to be posted until 2025, but has expressed interest in playing for MLB when that time comes.

There is a slight window which would allow Imanaga to enter MLB free agency this offseason, as his contract is up with the BayStars after this season. J.T. Buchheit of Redbird Rants explains:

"Imanaga isn't eligible for international free agency until 2025, but he has stated his desire to pitch in the major leagues. The BayStars could post him after this season and allow any major league team to negotiate with him. Although the BayStars have never posted a player before, Imanaga will be a free agent within NPB after 2023, so the BayStars might be tempted to let him go overseas and get some money for him instead of exposing him to a rival team."

Imanaga is nearing 30 years old and has plenty of international experience under his belt, including playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He's worth a shot as a mid-tier starting pitcher in MLB, if the Cardinals can sign him for an affordable asking price.

St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Does Sonny Gray make sense as a free-agent target?

While Jordan Montgomery is the most common mid-tier starting pitcher associated with the Cardinals free agency plans, Sonny Gray isn't a bad backup. Gray's numbers this season with the Minnesota Twins have been impressive -- he has a 3.06 ERA in 26 starts. Plus, he's likely to pick up some more postseason experience with the Twins expected to win the AL Central.

Gray's deal is up at the end of this season, and in what's expected to be a crowded pitching market, he'll surely command a multiyear contract north of $20 million per season. If the Cardinals view him as top of the rotation talent, then that's not a bad asking price.

At the All-Star Game, Gray discussed a desire to play closer to come (which for him is Nashville, TN). Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants discussed this factor and more in his synopsis of why Gray makes sense in a Cards uniform:

"Off the field, Gray talked about at the All-Star Game this year that he's already begun to have thoughts about retiring from baseball, desiring to be closer to home (Nashville, TN) so he can spend more time with his family. Gray still made it sound very unlikely that he'd retire, but it's clear that proximity to home will play a major factor in where he chooses to play baseball next year...The only two teams in baseball that are closer to Nashville than the Cardinals are the Reds and the Braves. I could see both teams making a run at Gray, but I strongly believe the Cardinals should be at the front of that bidding war. My guess is he gets somewhere around 3 years, $60 million in free agency."

St. Louis does have location in its favor, plus the money to sign Gray to a contract that fits his skill level.