Cardinals Linked To Old Friend After Dominant Run With Yankees

The St. Louis Cardinals traded away three important bullpen arms this past summer and could use some more firepower this offseason.

St. Louis struggled throughout the summer and opted to trade away pending free agents and cut ties with Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton. Even though the Cardinals traded away talented hurlers, they still finished the season with the 10th-ranked bullpen ERA at 3.74. That's in large part due to the performances of guys like Kyle Leahy, JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien, and Matt Svanson among others.

The Cardinals' bullpen has the pieces to still be a strength in 2026, but it wouldn't hurt to add another veteran or two. The Athletic's Jim Bowden dropped a column on Monday highlighting the top 50 pending free agents with potential landing spots and linked St. Louis to old friend Luke Weaver.

"Weaver was one of the best high-leverage relievers in 2024 for the Yankees and he had a dominant first half of the season this year, posting a 2.91 ERA," Bowden said. "It was a different story in the second half when he posted a 4.40 ERA and there was speculation he was tipping his pitches. This winter, teams will have to decide whether Weaver’s second-half issues are fixable and he can be the pitcher he was in the first half...Best team fits: Yankees, Braves, Cardinals, Giants, Athletics, Angels, Orioles."

The Cardinals should give Luke Weaver a call this winter

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) follows through on a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This is the exact type of move the Cardinals should consider. Weaver had a 2.89 ERA in 2024 with the New York Yankees and followed up with a 3.62 ERA in 2025. He actually began his big league career with the Cardinals all the way back in 2016. Weaver's first three big league seasons were in St. Louis.

The bullpen was a weapon in 2025 and adding a guy like Weaver would only make that more the case. With the starting rotation completely in flux, having a dependable bullpen would help to shorten games and hypothetically make things easier overall. For all of the troubles the Cardinals had over the last few years, the bullpen has been really good over the last two years specifically. St. Louis had the 10th-ranked bullpen ERA in 2025 and had the seventh-ranked bullpen ERA in 2024 at 3.64.

St. Louis isn't likely to shop around at the high end of the free agent market this offseason. Weaver is the perfect type of target for the organization. A veteran with experience already playing for the organization who could help without paying an arm and a leg.

More MLB: Cardinals Among 'Best Team Fits' For Diamondbacks All-Star