The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly signed a pair of veteran pitchers, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. According to Woo, St. Louis agreed to contracts with RHP Casey Lawrence and RHP Jacob Barnes.

The Cardinals are expected to sell ahead of the MLB trade deadline. St. Louis is looking for pitchers to eat innings during the second half of the season following the deadline, so Woo believes that is the role Lawrence and Barnes will play for the Cardinals.

Cardinals sign Casey Lawrence, Jacob Barnes

Lawrence has pitched in 44 total MLB games. He's also started two contests. Lawrence previously pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, but hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2022.

Barnes has bounced around the big leagues since 2016, previously pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, and New York Yankees. He also last appeared in an MLB game back in 2022. Overall, he's pitched in 252 career MLB contests.

More Cardinals news

In other Cardinals news, St. Louis activated OF Tyler O'Neill from the injured list Thursday. They also designated recently signed pitcher Ryan Tepera for assignment, the team announced on Twitter.

O'Neill's activation is important. He is a potential trade candidate and can build up his value with a strong showing before the August 1st deadline. In addition to O'Neill, Dylan Carlson will be an outfielder to keep tabs on ahead of the deadline.

Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals superstar third baseman, is remaining optimistic despite St. Louis' forgettable 2023 campaign. He recently said he's focused on winning right now and isn't looking ahead to 2024.

We will continue to monitor and provides updates on the Cardinals ahead of the MLB trade deadline.