4 non-tendered free-agent targets for "resetting" Cardinals

Patrick Sandoval (28, LAA)

Like Canning, lefty starter Patrick Sandoval is coming off of a season that saw disappointing results despite showing potential in previous seasons. In his first year as a full-time starter, the 2022 season saw Sandoval look like a long-term rotation piece, throwing nearly 150 innings in 27 starts. In those starts, Sandoval pitched to a 2.91 ERA (3.09 FIP) and accumulated over 3.0 WAR by both bWAR and fWAR measures.

The 2015 pick out of high school, Sandoval has never been a hard thrower, averaging 93mph on his fastball and featuring a changeup and slider he throws as often as his fastball. Unlike Canning, Sandoval's peripherals actually show that he was better than his 2024 season was. In 79.2 innings, the lefty notched a 2-8 record with a 5.08 ERA before a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery ended his season.

With the injury, Sandoval is expected to miss most of the 2025 season, with a tentative return date being August at best. Because of this, it's not unrealistic to see him signing a deal similar to Keynan Middleton (one year with a club option), where he'll spend most of the season rehabbing before a potential late-season call-up.

How does an arm like Sandoval help a Cardinals team in need of pitching in a potentially competitive season? If the Cardinals trust their depth like they seem to, the rotation (any trades nonwithstanding), currently sets up as some combination of Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante, and Miles Mikolas with a final spot battle could be seen between Steven Matz, Michael McGreevy, and Gordon Graceffo among others. If all goes well with that rotation, then anything Sandoval can provide in 2025 would be an added benefit before working towards a healthy season in 2026, when one or multiple of Gray, Fedde, and Mikolas will be on their way out of St. Louis if they have not been shipped off already.