Cardinals Should Be One of 'Many Teams' Scouting Former All-Star Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals may still have a little work left to do in the offseason after trading Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. Other players like Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero could always be moved for younger players.

Not only that, but St. Louis could still dive into the free agent market for some help. They need a right-handed bat to balance out their roster, which is full of left-handed bats.

They also could use some pitching help. Another rotation arm wouldn't hurt. Jon Heyman reports that "many teams" are interested in right-hander Lucas Giolito. He only lists the Detroit Tigers as one of those teams, but if the Cardinals are smart, they should be one of those teams as well.

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Cardinals should be all over Lucas Giolito

Sep 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) pitches during the third inning between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

In any other scenario, Giolito wouldn't be an option for the Cardinals, as he would be too expensive for the current state of the roster and likely seeking a multi-year deal. However, his market has moved slowly, which could ultimately lead to him being forced to accept a one-year deal.

If that ends up happening, then the Cardinals should be all over him. It might be a one-year deal worth more money than usual, but they could bring in a proven veteran to bolster the starting rotation and pair with Dustin May and Matthew Liberatore.

The 31-year-old went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts with the Boston Red Sox last year and struck out 121 batters over 145 innings of work. If he can be had on a one-year deal, then he would make sense for the Cardinals.

He bounced back and was able to stay healthy for most of the year. He could end up being a solid trade chip for the Cardinals if they end up falling out of contention or somebody that gives their rotation a boost and allow them to outperform their expectations.

There isn't any indication of which teams other than the Tigers are showing interest, but Chaim Bloom has been up front about wanting to add as much pitching as possible, so it wouldn't be too much of a shock to see him potentially dive back into the market for some help.

We'll see where the Cardinals land.

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