One-Time All-Star Worth Second Look With Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals shouldn't close the door on any move right now.

St. Louis isn't a team expected to enter the 2026 season as a contender. That shouldn't stop them from looking around. There are moves that still could be made that would make sense. For example, the Cardinals acquired Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday. That's a move that isn't massive on paper, but will help the organization.

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Another guy the club should try to go after is veteran starting pitcher -- and old friend -- José Quintana. The lefty made 24 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025 and had a 3.96 ERA. The Cardinals acquired Quintana during the 2022 season and he made 12 starts and had a 2.01 ERA over that stretch.

The Cardinals should sign the veteran

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Quintana (62) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cardinals' rotation is young right now. Dustin May, who the Cardinals signed this offseason, is just 28 years old. Beyond May, the Cardinals are loaded with young options, including Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, Michael McGreevy, and Matthew Liberatore. Chaim Bloom noted that the club is comfortable with the rotation, but noted that the team won't stop looking.

"I do feel at this point with the younger pitchers that we’ve been able to acquire in the trades that we’ve made and with bringing Dustin in here that if we were to go into the season with the starting depth that we have now, we’d feel good about it,” Bloom said. “That said, you never stop looking. We haven’t. We want to make sure it makes sense whether it’s a veteran fit or whether it’s additional young pitching, we don’t want to do it just to do it but we’ve continued to look out for it and certainly if the right fit is there we’re going to continue to add to that rotation depth.”

Quintana made just $4 million in 2025. If the Cardinals could get him on a comparable deal, he would be a good option to help the rotation while also being a trade deadline candidate this upcoming summer.

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