Looking to make a playoff run in the second half, the St. Louis Cardinals will be looking to bolster the starting rotation at the MLB trade deadline.
According to John Denton of MLB.com, the Cardinals are likely to target a pair of starting pitchers in Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi and Tampa Bay Rays' Zach Eflin.
The Cardinals have a middle-of-the-pack starting rotation. Their 6.5 fWAR ranks 17th in MLB while their 4.44 ERA ranks 21st.
The defending World Series champs are likely to be sellers at the deadline after a disappointing first half. At 46-51, they are 7.5 games back from the last wild-card spot.
With that said, Eovaldi is still putting together a strong campaign. The 34-year-old has a 3.36 ERA in 17 starts and 99 innings pitched. He has 94 strikeouts, 26 walks and a 1.07 WHIP.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Eflin is expected to be traded at the deadline after the Rays find themselves falling out of contention for a playoff spot.
Eflin is 5-7 in 18 starts and 104.1 innings pitched. He has a 4.14 ERA with 83 strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP. The veteran may have been a bit unlucky this season considering the 3.39 expected ERA so some positive regression may be heading his way.
Behind solid first-half performances from Sonny Gray and Kyle Gibson at the top of the rotation, the Cardinals could use an extra veteran to bolster the rotation for a second-half run.
With the July 30 deadline just over a week away, the Cardinals will be a team to watch as the look to add some rotation help.
