Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals, Mets Eyeing 29-Year-Old Starter, Gold Glover

The St. Louis Cardinals may not be done adding...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

In this story:

St. Louis CardinalsNew York Mets

The St. Louis Cardinals have done a great job adding pitching this offseason.

That's the biggest takeaway of the offseason so far for the organization. St. Louis added big league-ready starters in Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts along with a handful of prospects through trades. The Cardinals also signed Dustin May in free agency after spending time with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

If the season were to start tomorrow, the Cardinals would have a handful of starter options including Dobbins, Fitts, May, Michael McGreey, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, and Kyle Leahy. It sounds like the club isn't done considering potential options as well. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Cardinals and the New York Mets are among the teams with interest in right-handed starter Griffin Canning.

The Cardinals could use another veteran hurler

New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning
Jun 10, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning (46) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Canning is 29 years old and logged a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts last season for the Mets across 76 1/3 innings pitched. Overall, Canning has logged a 4.65 ERA across his six-year big league career and has a Gold Glove Award under his belt. If the Cardinals were to bring him to town, they would be getting a starter with upside after one of the best seasons of his career.

A team can truly never have too much starting pitching depth. When the 2026 season kicks off, the Cardinals will be in a good place if May, Liberatore, and McGreevy are getting consistent starts. Canning would be an intriguing short-term guy to add. The focus for the organization right now should be maximizing opportunities for younger players while charting a path towards bringing more trade capital to town.

If May thrives, he'll be a high-end trade chip this upcoming summer. That arguably would be a reason to add Canning as well. He's someone who if he came in and pitched like he did last year, he would also be a worthy trade chip this upcoming summer as well. He's worth a flyer with under a month to go until Spring Training.

More MLB: Cardinals 28-Year-Old In Play For Mets After Bo Bichette Deal

Published
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

Home/St. Louis Cardinals News