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Inside The Cardinals

1 Free Agent Still Available Who Could Make Cardinals' Roster

The St. Louis Cardinals should have one more move up their sleeve.
Patrick McAvoy|
Jun 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) delivers to the plate in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jun 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) delivers to the plate in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

We are now under two weeks away from Opening Day. There are still some seriously talented players available in free agency right now who should be on big league teams.

A few of the top remaining free agents across baseball right now are starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, relief pitcher Michael Kopech, starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, outfielder Tommy Pham, relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle, infielder Justin Turner, infielder Jose Iglesias and starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, among many others. Two other names that were on this list were Jalen Beeks and Danny Coulombe, who both landed deals on Thursday.

At this point, the St. Louis Cardinals should still be surveying the market to see if there are any diamonds in the rough. Arguably, the guy they should be all over is Kopech. Kopech is a 29-year-old flamethrower who arguably would make the Cardinals' bullpen out of camp even with Opening Day under two weeks away if he's healthy.

The Cardinals could use another reliever

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech
Jun 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) delivers to the plate in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This is a guy who had a 2.45 ERA in 2025, although it was in 14 appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sure, he missed time due to injury, but he still finished the season in the 92nd percentile in fastball velocity and 81st percentile in extension. In 2024, he pitched in 67 games with the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox and had a 3.46 ERA. That season, he was in the 98th percentile in fastball velocity, 95th percentile in expected batting average against, 93rd percentile in strikeout rate, 92nd percentile in whiff rate and 86th percentile in extension.

If you were to put Kopech in the Cardinals' bullpen right now and he were healthy, he arguably would have the highest upside of anyone in the group. He has stuff you simply can't teach. This is a guy who once hit 105 miles per hour with a fastball as a Boston Red Sox prospect years ago. He's just 29 years old. There's no reason he's available. But the Cardinals should take advantage of that and hand him a one-year deal right now. It would help the club in the short term. Plus, if he stayed healthy, he would be another trade deadline candidate for the club. A win-win through and through.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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