The St. Louis Cardinals were expected by many to win the NL Central in 2023, but they have sputtered throughout the season and are heading for a shocking last-place finish. The front office decided to sell some of their players ahead of the trade deadline, such as Jack Flaherty, Paul DeJong, Jordan Montgomery and Jordan Hicks, knowing this year was a lost cause.

With the Cardinals finishing up a disappointing season (at least Jordan Walker is looking good), it's not too early to look ahead to the offseason. They need talent upgrades and must target free agents who will fit their culture and system. St. Louis has a clear need on the mound, as the club ranks toward the bottom of MLB in ERA this season. There are a number of strong pitching options in free agency, and here are some names to watch for the Cardinals as they look to turn things around quickly.

Blake Snell

The Cardinals' lineup is stacked with incredible batters and terrific power, so adding someone like Blake Snell as their ace would be perfect. The organization has not been afraid to spend their financial resources and spend it on superstar free agents who are the caliber of Snell.

The lefty has been having arguably the best season of his career with the San Diego Padres, but his squad is facing a similar fate as the Cardinals this season. After a career year, he will likely test the market and find the franchise that will give him the biggest bag, so St. Louis should be ready to give him one.

Julio Urias

Another lefty pitcher who would be a tremendous fit in St. Louis is Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias. There was a stretch in 2023 during which Urias struggled, but he is still one of the best starting pitchers on the market. Snell and Urias will be two of the most pursued starters in free agency, so the Cardinals must take a serious look at both because they need a No. 1 pitcher if they want to be competitive in 2024.

The Dodgers do have several starting pitchers in their farm system and have been linked to signing Shohei Ohtani, so keeping Urias might not be in the cards if they don't want to pay up. With St. Louis desperately needing starting pitching, signing Urias must be an utmost priority.

Lucas Giolito

Lucas Giolito is now with the Cleveland Guardians on a rental, which is his third team for this year. Giolito has been all over the place, but he is unlikely to stay with the Guardians because their franchise is not known to be willing to pay big-name free agents a large amount of money. Giolito struggled immensely in his short stint with the Los Angeles Angels, so his current value is not as high as he may hope.

Even in the midst of a down year, Giolito is still performing better than starters of St. Louis like Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright. The former Chicago White Sox ace could be a stellar No. 2 or No. 3 pitcher for the Cardinals, so the front office must add around two or three starters (a Jordan Montgomery reunion would be interesting as well) who will be extremely reliable if they want to get back to the top of the NL Central.