ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals have made a move to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen ahead of the playoffs.
The team announced on Monday night it had acquired lefty starter Jose Quintana and right-handed reliever Chris Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Quintana, 33, is 3-5 with a 3.50 ERA for the Pirates this season, with a 2.87 strikeout to walk ratio. For his career, Quintana is 86-85 with a 3.81 ERA in 303 games.
Quintana is an 11-year major league veteran, who has made stops with the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Giants and Pirates. He will be a free agent at the end of the 2022 season.
Stratton has a 5.09 ERA for the Pirates out of the bullpen this season. He is a 7-year major league veteran.
The Cardinals are sending righty Johan Oviedo and infield prospect Malcom Nunez to the Pirates in the deal
Oviedo, 24, is 2-1 on the season for the Cardinals with a 3.20 ERA. He has made one start and pitched 25 and a third innings overall.
Nunez is the 10th-best prospect in the Cardinals' system as ranked by MLB.com.
The Cardinals also designated catcher Austin Romine for assignment, with the anticipation Yadier Molina will be activated on Tuesday.
The Cardinals' rotation is in need of innings after injuries to Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz, who were expected to be key contributors in the top five of the staff this season.
The Cardinals made another move ahead of the Quintana acquisition, trading infielder Edmundo Sosa for reliever JoJo Romero.