6 free agents the St. Louis Cardinals should consider

Max Scherzer

Now that Max Scherzer is open to “entertaining an offer” from the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s kind of fun to think about him actually joining his hometown club.

Scherzer is a free agent this offseason after completing the last of his seven-year contract worth $210 million with the Washington Nationals. He was traded in July to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Dodgers make their way into the playoffs. He ended up not being a real factor for the Dodgers in the NLCS as dealt with a dead arm.

In 2021, Scherzer was 15-4 in 30 games started. He pitched 179.1 innings with a 2.46 ERA. He threw 236 strikeouts and a swinging strikeout rate of 31.6%.

Scherzer relies on a fastball, slider, changeup, curveball and a cutter. Scherzer’s curveball averages 76.9 mph with 54.3 inches of vertical drop and a 67% active spin. The cutter averages 90.2 mph with 24.6 inches of vertical drop and a 49% active spin. The fastball averages 94.3 mph with 14.8 inches of vertical drop and a 91% active spin. The changeup averages 85 mph with 33.9 inches of drop and a filthy 98% active spin. The slider averages 85.9 mph with 32.4 inches of drop and a 25% active spin.

After 13 seasons in the major leagues, it would be nice to see Scherzer come back home and play for the Cardinals in his hometown. Maybe now is the time for it to finally happen.