Cardinals Free Agent Pitch For 2-Time World Series Champ

The St. Louis Cardinals have been among the more active teams in baseball this offseason and there's surely more movement on the way.

St. Louis has been active in free agency -- as shown best through its signing of Dustin May -- and has also made multiple trades. It's been somewhat of an odd offseason in general across baseball. There is still some significant talent out there for the taking. The vast majority of the top free agents in this year's class actually are still available.

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While Cardinals fans shouldn't expect the club to go out and target someone like Framber Valdez or Kyle Tucker, St. Louis president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made it clear that the club is open to adding pitching still, even after the Willson Contreras trade.

The Cardinals should target Walker Buehler

Sep 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Walker Buehler (31) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"I think if the right fit is there, we would like to add some experience (in the rotation), and I think we can do that," Bloom said.

Another move like the May deal should certainly be considered by the organization. With that being said, why not go after another guy who was connected to Boston last season? The Boston Red Sox acquired May from the Los Angeles Dodgers to fill a hole in the rotation left by Walker Buehler. The two-time All-Star had a brutal 2025 season and the two sides went in a different direction. Boston brought May in and Buehler went to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Buehler, like May, has dealt with significant injuries throughout his career. Buehler earned two All-Star nods with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was one of the top hurlers in the National League at one point, but missed the entire 2023 season and a chunk of the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. He was healthy in 2025, but struggled in his first fully healthy season since 2021.

That season, Buehler logged a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts and had 7.1 wins above replacement. That's why the Cardinals should target him. He has massive upside and if things were to work out, the Cardinals easily could find a trade suitor to bring back even more prospects ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

Like May, Buehler is a hurler who has had success and has upside, but has struggled in 2025. At just 31 years old, he could be in line for a bounce-back. He's a World Series champ and has plenty of experience. If the Cardinals want a hurler with experience, there may not be better options out there.

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