Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Urged To Sign $91 Million Free Agent Ace

The St. Louis Cardinals could look to make a big move in the coming months...
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for a rebuild this offseason as Chaim Bloom takes over as the president of baseball operations.

Bloom could look to move a few Cardinals players in big trades this winter. He could also chase some talented free agents to patch up the roster. Either way, this winter should be a lot more exciting in St. Louis than last offseason.

FanSided's Zachary Rotman recently urged the Cardinals to sign free agent pitcher Michael King of the San Diego Padres. Spotrac projects King to sign for $91 million over four years in free agency.

Latest Cardinals prediction makes no sense for St. Louis

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael Kin
Sep 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

"Speaking of long shots, the St. Louis Cardinals are a massive one. They weren't bad in 2025, but they finished under .500 and are likely going to make several of their veteran players, including Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray, available on the trade block," Rotman wrote. "I'm not convinced that the Cardinals will try to win in the short term, but if they do, I think they've got an outside shot of stealing the NL Central. And their odds would increase exponentially if they were to sign Michael King.

"The Cardinals need starting pitching. Gray's future in St. Louis is uncertain, and while guys like Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore are decent, they're far from frontline starters at this stage of their careers. This team had a 4.67 rotation ERA this season, good for 25th in the league. A guy like Michael King can drastically change things in St. Louis. He won't come cheap, but he might be cheaper than he should be."

This prediction makes almost zero sense for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have made it quite evident that they're not looking to contend next season. They've traded expiring players at the trade deadline and are still reportedly looking for suitors for Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras.

With King's age, he's likely only going to be good for the short-term, which doesn't fit the Cardinals' timeline.

The Cardinals likely wouldn't want to give him anything close to Spotrac's projection either, while a team like the Boston Red Sox or New York Mets might be more willing to do so.

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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