Does 3-Time Cy Young Make Sense for Cardinals in 2026?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of Major League Baseball's most active teams this winter. They were busy on the trade front and sent all of their trade chips to contending teams, but they also managed to sign Dustin May and Ryne Stanek to bolster their pitching staff.

More moves could still follow. They seem to be set on the pitching side so far, but another addition can't be completely ruled out just yet. Chaim Bloom expressed interest in adding more pitching after the May signing.

St. Louis native and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is still a free agent. Could he be somebody the Cardinals look at?

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Do Cardinals make sense for Mad Max?

Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) reacts after being relieved against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning for game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Scherzer would check a lot of boxes for the Cardinals. He would be a veteran addition that shouldn't force Bloom and ownership to break the bank, and he could be a strong leader in a young clubhouse for 2026. A little extra veteran leadership can't hurt as the Cardinals enter their rebuild.

If the Cardinals fall out of contention, they could then potentially look to trade Scherzer to a contending ballclub and give the future Hall-of-Famer one more chance to win a World Series title.

So, Scherzer would make sense for the Cardinals in a lot of ways. However, they do already have a lot of young depth that should be Major League ready soon. They also are not expected to be a contender, and that is something that Scherzer wants.

He may be a St. Louis native, but he will more than likely choose winning over going home, especially at this stage in his career, and he is reportedly even willing to wait until after Opening Day to sign as long as he finds the right fit.

For him, St. Louis just wouldn't be that fit, so it's unlikely that this will even happen. But it will be interesting to see where Scherzer ultimately goes.

Fans just shouldn't expect that next destination to be St. Louis. He makes sense for the Cardinals, but the Cardinals don't make sense for him and what he wants to accomplish late in his career. We'll see what St. Louis does next this offseason. There is still time for a move or two.

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