The St. Louis Cardinals are actively looking for a trade partner willing to take on right-handed pitcher Kyle McClellan, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McClellan is owed $2.5 million next year.

The Cardinals have attempted to engage a number of clubs in talks for McClellan. The Baltimore Orioles have emerged as one of the most promising trade partners for McClellan, according to industry sources, as the Cardinals are seeking little more than salary relief

If the team can move the righty, the club could seal the deal with free agent starting pitcher Roy Oswalt, who perhaps is waiting for the club to make room for him. Oswalt, a Missouri native, is one of the last free agents remaining guaranteed to receive a major league deal.

The 27-year-old McClellan converted to the rotation from the bullpen after ace Adam Wainwright went down for the season. He had a career worst season, and with the back-and-fourth from the rotation and bullpen didn't help either.