3 pitchers the Cardinals should aggressively target this offseason

Framber Valdez

When you look at the free-agent hitting market this offseason, the quality of available bats doesn't offer the same level of potential impact, except for Kyle Tucker. The rest of the hitters are not significant upgrades over the players the Cardinals already have on their roster. A better way to get that big right-handed bat would be to find one through trade. So, instead of trying to just find a guy, why not go all in on pitching? 

While Sonny Gray has had his moments, the team has lacked a second and third dominant, durable, and reliable front-end starter who can consistently deliver. This is precisely why they should make a significant push to sign Framber Valdez this winter, even if they can sign another top-tier starter like Dylan Cease.

Valdez, who is a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, is a high-volume lefty with a 3.08 ERA since 2021, and ranks among the top pitchers in innings pitched during that span. A one-two punch of Cease and Valdez, to go with Gray, would instantly transform the Cardinals' rotation from a weakness into a major strength.

I know you are thinking this would drastically affect the team's payroll. However, all it really does is get them back to just above the levels of 2023 ~$176.6 million (ranked 15th) and 2024 - $175.2 million (ranked 11th).

The Cardinals' 2025 payroll is approximately $130 million, ranking them in the bottom half of the league. Spotrac shows the team’s payroll commitment for 2026 is $69 million. That leaves plenty for all the arbitration players and Cease and Valdez. This would push their total to roughly $180-$190 million, placing them in the top half of MLB and returning them to spending levels seen in previous years.

With pitching dominating the current baseball landscape, investing heavily in elite arms like Valdez and Cease is the most logical way for the Cardinals to become a genuine contender and to do so quickly and effectively. With the rotation of Gray, Cease, and Valdez and Williams closing out the games, the Cardinals would have a pitching staff that would compete with anyone.