Cardinals’ Rotation Is Crowded, but a Free-Agent Starter Is Still Possible

While the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of young starters to think about on the roster, they absolutely should be in the market for a veteran starter on a pillow contract this winter, just like last year with Dustin May.

St. Louis got everything it could've asked for out of May. The Cardinals signed him in free agency and he helped to raise the floor of the rotation for the first few months of the season. Then, him and JoJo Romero were packaged together to bring No. 5 prospect Alexander Frias and No. 11 prospect Josiah Ragsdale to town in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. This winter, the Cardinals should follow the same playbook and Shane Bieber is the guy they should be circling in free agency.

When healthy, Bieber is a game-changer of a starter. Bieber won the 2020 American League Cy Young Award and has racked up accolades throughout his career to this point. He's a two-time All-Star and has won a pitching Triple Crown, an ERA title, an All-Star MVP Award and a Gold Glove Award. Bieber has a career 3.31 ERA in nine seasons, but hasn't pitched in more than 11 games in a season since 2023.

The Cardinals Should Target Shane Bieber Right Away

Aug 20, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bieber has had some brutal luck from an injury perspective. In 2026, he pitched just 55 2/3 innings for the Toronto Blue Jays. Bieber's final appearance of the 2026 season came on Aug. 20. With all of the injuries that have piled up for Bieber, he'll certainly land some sort of short-term deal this winter to try to rebuild his value.

The Cardinals are a team that arguably could get him right. Look at May. Similar to Bieber, May is someone who dealt with injuries for years, but he made 21 starts for the Cardinals before being dealt to Milwaukee. The Cardinals have shown over the last few years that they know how to manage their starters and keep them on the hill. That's what Bieber needs. From a talent perspective, he's better than May. So, in a perfect world, he'd help the rotation and then bring back even more ahead of the 2027 trade deadline, if the Cardinals sold again.

This winter, Bieber is the exact starter St. Louis should view as a priority. On top of his talent — and potential trade value — he's someone who has had plenty of success and adversity. That's a good guy to have around all of St. Louis' young guys, who are still finding their places in the big leagues. Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante all seem like locks. Then, there are rotation options, like Quinn Mathews, Matthew Liberatore, Tanner Franklin, Liam Doyle and Jurrangelo Cijntje, among others. Getting to the pick brain of Bieber would be for the best for these young guys, even if it was for a short time.

When the market opens, the Cardinals' first call should be to Bieber.

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