Cardinals Are Perfect Landing Spot For Potential $200 Million Ace

Could the Cardinals land Dylan Cease?

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer recently suggested that Dylan Cease's stock is going way down as he heads into free agency at the end of the year.

"Dylan Cease is still doing what he does best, which is miss a whole bunch of bats. His whiff rate is in the 96th percentile, and he leads MLB with a rate of 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings," Rymer wrote. "As usual, though, his strikeouts come with walks (3.5 per nine) and high pitch counts that limit his average workload to 5.4 innings. He's also been getting hit hard with a career-high barrel rate of 10.1 percent.

"His slider remains one of the most effective weapons in the league, but even increased velocity (97.2 mph) hasn't helped his fastball. Per its minus-one Run Value, it has actually done more harm than good in 2025."

The San Diego Padres ace has struggled this season, but he could emerge as the perfect fit for the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency.

Dylan Cease is the perfect offseason addition for the Cardinals

Jul 28, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Rymer touched on Cease's value in free agency, too.

"A $200 million contract might have been a possibility for Cease once, but he's probably looking at something in the $100 million range now," Rymer wrote. "A good contract model for a talented, yet volatile starter is the six-year, $162 million pact Carlos Rodón (another Boras client) signed after the 2022 season."

If Cease is in the $100 million range, he's a perfect fit for the Cardinals. St. Louis is going to need to add a top of the line starting pitcher in the coming months if they want to compete in the National League Central going forward. Sonny Gray is solid, but he's getting older. Matthew Liberatore has been good, too, but he's no ace.

Cease is the perfect buy-low option. If he had pitched to his best abilities this season, it's more likely that he would be looking to sign a $200 million or $250 million deal in free agency, but since he's struggled, his value will likely be halved.

Adding the righty would help elevate the Cardinals as they likely head for a rebuild. Building a young pitching staff around a dynamic talent like Cease would be exactly what the Cardinals need. His leadership and dominant abilities make him quite the intriguing option to look into.

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