Cardinals Should Pursue Reunion With Former Pitcher To Boost Bullpen For 2026

The Cardinals should bring back an old friend.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller (18) pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on June 30, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are out of postseason contention after selling at the trade deadline. They gave up rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton. They are 4 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card race and 14 back in the NL Central.

St. Louis now seems to have fully committed to a rebuild, which will likely take a few years under future President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. But that doesn't mean that they can't potentially add a few lower-priced free agents, even if spending is going to be limited by ownership.

This coming offseason, right-hander Shelby Miller will be a free agent. St. Louis will need a high-leverage reliever or two to boost its bullpen with Helsley, Matz and Maton gone. Perhaps St. Louis could reunite with Miller on a cheap, short-term deal.

Cardinals Should Reunite With Former All-Star To Boost Bullpen

Jun 28, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller (18) during the ninth inning during a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Miller started the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline. He came up to the Major Leagues with St. Louis in 2012 as a reliever and later became a member of their rotation in 2013, thrusting his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation.

He has spent time with the Atlanta Braves, Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. He was an All-Star in 2015 with Atlanta.

This season, the veteran right-hander is 3-3 with a 1.93 ERA in 38 appearances with the Diamondbacks and Brewers. He could serve as a high-leverage option for St. Louis late in games if signed for 2026, and if St. Louis finds themselves out of contention at the trade deadline, Miller can be dealt for a decent haul of prospects to help St. Louis continue with its rebuild.

The Cardinals will likely miss the postseason for the third straight year in 2025, but adding Miller for 2026 could give their bullpen a major boost, while they look elsewhere to try and alleviate some of their logjams on the position player side.

The Cardinals will have a different look under Bloom, who will take over at the end of 2025 as John Mozeliak steps down. It will certainly be interesting to see how Bloom approaches the offseason and what steps he'll take to help St. Louis rebuild.

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