4 local boys who could take a hometown discount to join the Cardinals

Baseball is woven into the fabric of St. Louis. The history and tradition, not to mention the success, of the St. Louis Cardinals have long been a point of pride for natives of the area, and that enthusiasm for the sport spans generations. Kids emulate their favorite Cardinals in their backyards, and a lucky few are able to make it all the way to the sport's highest level.

Although team fandom tends to fade as players ascend through the ranks, many locals still can't completely rid themselves of that allegiance. With several 2025-2026 free agents hailing from the St. Louis area, the Cardinals should consider offering a taste of home cooking to these four players, who might be amenable to a lower price tag to be able to play for their childhood team.

The Cardinals should think about signing these four free agents who grew up around St. Louis.

Pete Fairbanks

The eternally penny-pinching Tampa Bay Rays declined Pete Fairbanks' $11 million club option, making him a free agent. Fairbanks served as the team's closer and notched 27 saves while holding a 2.83 ERA in 60.1 innings. A leader in Tampa Bay's clubhouse, Fairbanks will likely be coveted by teams looking for a veteran presence to help mentor young pitchers. The Cardinals could fit that bill, as they traded many of their more experienced arms at the deadline, jettisoning Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton. The Webster Groves High School and University of Missouri alumnus seems to believe that returning home is a real possibility: Near the 2025 trade deadline, Fairbanks appeared on the "Foul Territory" podcast and said that if he were to learn he had been traded, he and his family would "probably start looking for schools in St. Louis."

The Cardinals' new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, is familiar with the right-hander, as Bloom spent time in the Rays' front office during Fairbanks' early years in Tampa. Fairbanks shouldn't come with a hefty price tag, and if he were to excel in St. Louis, the Cardinals could always move him at the trade deadline for more prospects.

Phil Maton

Phil Maton received his first taste of playing for his beloved Cardinals in 2025 after eight seasons with five different teams. He found plenty of success wearing the birds on the bat after signing with the team during spring training and could be on the return route. With the Cardinals, Maton held a 2.35 ERA in 38.1 innings before being flipped to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. The breaking-ball extraordinaire is from Chatham, Illinois, and attended the local Glenwood High School. In an interview with Cardinals beat writer John Denton, Maton said he owned plenty of Cardinals gear as a kid and that he was enjoying his time pitching for them.

After playing some of the best baseball of his career with the Cardinals, Maton will likely earn more in free agency than the $2 million contract he signed with St. Louis prior to the 2025 season. Still, with Maton's memories of playing for his boyhood team fresh in his mind, he could sign at a very affordable price to allow a reunion to take place.

Max Scherzer

The 41-year-old Max Scherzer has crafted a Hall of Fame career in his 18 major league seasons, and he said after the 2025 World Series that he plans to return to the mound in 2026. In what could be the swan song of a one-of-a-kind career, the wily veteran might be enticed to finish his playing days at home. In 2025, on a $15.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, Scherzer was a shell of his former self, holding an ugly 5.19 ERA and allowing 19 home runs in 85 innings. However, for the Cardinals, a team that isn't projected to achieve much in 2026, Scherzer's production would be secondary to what he could provide the team off the field.

On the surface, Scherzer doesn't fit the Cardinals' plans, as Bloom has said that he wants to add young, cost-controllable pitching to the team, but he could be a perfect mentor to young pitchers on the team and even provide a much-needed attendance boost to Busch Stadium with his name recognition. Scherzer attended Parkway Central High School and the University of Missouri, and the Cardinals originally drafted him out of high school in the now-nonexistent 43rd round in 2003, but he opted not to sign. Scherzer might feel that he has some unfinished business in St. Louis and be willing to lower his price tag a bit to provide valuable advice for the Cardinals' next rotation fixtures.

Devin Williams

Following six exceptional seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and earning two All-Star nods, right-handed closer Devin Williams was shipped to the New York Yankees last offseason but failed to replicate his success from his Brewers days. In the Bronx, Williams held a 4.79 ERA and was pulled from the closer's role in early August. With Williams coming off a down year, the Cardinals could swoop in and grab the 31-year-old Hazelwood West High School graduate, who has had a career eerily similar to that of former Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.

Williams' peripherals were still strong last season, as his 2.68 FIP was significantly better than his inflated ERA, which makes him a prime rebound candidate. With his "airbender" changeup still effective — opponents hit just .194 off the pitch last year — there will be plenty of teams calling for his services. Although the competition for Williams is likely to be fierce, if the Cardinals can roughly match other teams' bids, the deciding factor for Williams could rest on a potential desire to return to where it all began.