Insider Drops Major Hint About Cardinals’ Pitching Approach Moving Forward

The picture is becoming clearer for St. Louis

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

The St. Louis Cardinals left the Winter Meetings without making any moves, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t active. They are expected to trade several veterans this offseason, including Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan.

However, their activity won’t just be in trades. They plan on pursuing other paths to add talent as well. This includes free agency, even if the moves they make aren’t splashy ones.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shed a little light on what the Cardinals plan to do. They hope to add a little more pitching to the roster as they try to navigate 2026.

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Cardinals Will Add More Pitching For 2026

May 13, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom signs an autograph prior to a game against the against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“As they consider offers from several teams for lefty reliever JoJo Romero, the Cardinals are exploring the free-agent market for a veteran reliever, possibly a lefty, to add to the bullpen for the coming summer. The Cardinals want to add a seasoned reliever in the mold of Phil Maton or Andrew Kittredge to the roster,” Goold wrote.

“At the same time, they’ve been exploring the market for the veteran starter they wish to now add to the rotation.”

There are still a lot of options available in free agency that could help the Cardinals this offseason. For the bullpen, options such as Tyler Rogers, Pete Fairbanks and Brad Keller are available, as well as Seranthony Dominguez, Luke Weaver and Kenley Jansen.

For the rotation, there are plenty of solid veterans still unsigned. Pitchers like Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Chris Bassit, Zac Gallen, and even former Cardinal Jose Quintana could be options.

The moves they make won’t be earth-shattering by any means, but these are still solid options that could help the Cardinals as they shift their focus to the future. Chaim Bloom has been busy so far this winter, and more activity should follow in the coming weeks.

It will be interesting to see what Bloom has up his sleeve as the rest of the offseason plays out and the Cardinals try to set themselves up for the future.

They’ll make trades, but the free agent market still has plenty of good and affordable options available that can help them in 2026. The Cardinals will look quite a bit different from 2025 when spring training rolls around.

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