MLB TRADE NEWS: An MLB insider told us this evening that the St. Louis Cardinals made a surprise trade this evening when they signed Los Angeles Dodgers sensational world-class first starting pitcher to a $189.7 million contract. However…

Luckily for the Cardinals, there are plenty of suitors that would make a ton of sense for them to make a trade with.

Just over a month ago, any trade deadline chatter around the St. Louis Cardinals focused on how much of a firesale they’d be undergoing, not the idea that they would be poaching talent from other clubs to make a run. But as things stand today, the Cardinals are firmly in the Wild Card race and look to be one of the top four teams in the National League.

It is truly remarkable the kind of run they want on from May 12th up until this point. They did so mostly without impact bats like Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar, and have been navigating a hole in their rotation as well. Now the Cardinals are a winning club that is getting healthier by the day, and adding a few more pieces to this team at the deadline could make them an interesting team come October.

While the league is still pretty muddy in terms of who will be buyers and who will be sellers, there are a number of clubs who will likely move some significant pieces at the trade deadline to contending teams and makes so much sense for the Cardinals to explore a deal with.

As things currently stand, the Cardinals will likely add another starting pitcher to their rotation and some bullpen depth, but there is also reason to believe they could explore adding another bat for their bench as well. I’ve identified seven different teams who appear to be seamless fits for the Cardinals to make a deal with between now and the deadline.

Detroit Tigers

While I do think it’s worth keeping an eye on the Detroit Tigers as a trade partner for the Cardinals, I remain skeptical about their interest in a reunion with Jack Flaherty, even if it makes so much sense to pursue.

If you have not kept up with Flaherty this year, he’s been excellent over in Detroit, being among the league leaders in strikeouts this year and posting a 3.24 ERA in the process. Flaherty would fit seamlessly into this rotation as a number two starter, giving St. Louis two dynamic studs at the top of their rotation entering the postseason. It also helps that he’s familiar with the team, so a transition midseason wouldn’t be a culture shock.

As of right now, I have not heard anything other than speculation connecting the Cardinals to Flaherty, and I doubt that this will end up happening as things currently stand. That could change as we get closer to the trade deadline though.