The St. Louis Cardinals already have added the most pitchers in free agency this offseason but could another move be coming?

St. Louis has made it known that it likely was done adding starting pitching but there is a long offseason ahead of us and anything could happen. The Cardinals have added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson and already have boosted their rotation.

At this point, the Cardinals likely are done adding starting pitching but still are being linked to the best pitcher available. Orix Buffaloes phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the most sought-after pitcher in free agency and has been mentioned as a fit for the Cardinals. They likely won’t land him at this point but still are “strongly linked” to him, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.

“The Yankees have long been a favorite over the Mets to sign Yamamoto, but the Cohen/Stearns trip seemed to have helped level the playing field,” Martino said. “And of course, there is plenty of out-of-town competition.

“The (Los Angeles Dodgers), (San Francisco Giants), Cardinals, and (Chicago Cubs) are among the many teams strongly linked to Yamamoto. Multiple teams plan to top the highest offer, which – depending on who is speculating – could approach $300 million.”

Yamamoto would be a massive signing for St. Louis but landing three hurlers already likely takes the Cardinals out of contention for his services. They always could surprise us, but if they were to make a move for a starter it would be more likely that it would be through trade.

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The Red Sox acquire Gold Glove-winning OF Tyler O’Neill from the Cardinals in exchange for two pitchers.

The Red Sox acquired outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, bringing in a two-time Gold Glove winner to replace the departing Alex Verdugo.

St. Louis received right-handers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos in return.

O’Neill finished eighth in the NL MVP voting in 2021, batting .286 with 34 homers and 80 RBIs. But he hasn’t come close to that production since – or before — with a .248 average and 78 homers in his six-year career.

O’Neill is in his final season of arbitration eligibility and could become a free agent after the 2024 season. He is projected to earn a salary of $5.5 million.

Robertson appeared in 18 games for the Red Sox and Dodgers last season, with a 0-1 record and 6.04 ERA. Santos, who missed all of 2023 with a right elbow injury, has a 23-48 record and 5.21 ERA in seven seasons with the Tigers, Rockies, Rangers, Brewers, Pirates, Reds and Orioles. The Cardinals said he will be assigned to the minor leagues.

“As we look to add pitching depth, as well as address concerns on potential playing time in the outfield, we felt this deal worked well in addressing both of those issues,” Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said in a statement. “We are excited to add Nick to our bullpen, and we feel Victor gives us added depth in our minor league system.”