2 free agent starters the Cardinals should avoid at all costs

The offseason is underway, and there's a lot of important work to do for the Cardinals. Chaim Bloom appears ready to get the ball rolling on a long-needed rebuild. But at the same time, he isn't going to just gut the roster and not add pieces here and there. In fact, he's been quite candid about wanting to add pitching.

All routes are possible here. Trades, free agency, the Rule 5 Draft, you name it. Bloom is going to look for ways to acquire pitching for St. Louis and start his tenure off strong.

Keep in mind that the Cardinals aren't going to be in on any of the big-name pitchers like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez. I think we can also count Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander out here. Those pitchers will want to be with contending teams, and the Cardinals are in a transition period. Even though Scherzer is a St. Louis native, playing for a winner is important to him.

For possible targets, think Walker Buehler, Jose Quintana, Lucas Giolito, Dustin May, and possibly even former Cardinals prospect Zac Gallen. Those guys should be within the Cardinals' price range.

There are also plenty of pitchers out there that the Cardinals should avoid. There are some that are going to be out of their price range or injury-prone, or they just aren't good options at all. We'll discuss two arms in particular the Cardinals should stay away from.

Before we start, I'd like to clarify that I believe most, if not all, Cardinals fans believe that bringing Miles Mikolas back is a bad idea, so he won't be included here.

1. Dylan Cease

The Cardinals likely weren't going to be in on Cease anyway, but the point isn't entirely moot. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports made some bold predictions, one of which was that Cease would settle for a one-year contract.

So you'd think that would make him a logical target for the Cardinals, right? Well, not quite. Cease did not have a good year with the Padres, going 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts. He can get swings and misses, but that didn't save him from what was truly a rough year.

In fact, I think it's clear that he's not the ace he was cracked up to be a few years back. The 2022 season with the White Sox where he posted a 2.20 ERA is looking more like a fluke as time goes by, and while he had a 3.47 ERA in 2024, that doesn't exactly scream "ace."

Yes, the Cardinals are rebuilding, but I would much rather them let another contender overpay for Cease, even it's just a one-year deal.

2. Andrew Heaney

Heaney has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. He had a good stint with the Dodgers then won a World Series title with the Rangers in 2023. But, simply put, he's just not what the Cardinals need.

They need certainty, especially if Sonny Gray is going to be traded, and they need somebody that will move the needle more than Heaney would. He went 5-10 with a 5.52 ERA in 23 starts and four relief appearances with the Pirates this year.

While he is durable and can take the ball every fifth day, there are a lot of better options, such as the ones listed on the first slide, and there's a lot more value in those arms than Heaney, so it would not make sense for St. Louis to even entertain this idea.

We'll see what happens, but the Cardinals would be better served going for someone more proven than Heaney, and a little less expensive than Cease.