5 doorbuster free agent signings the Cardinals should pounce on this Black Friday

The St. Louis Cardinals are just getting started with their active offseason, and Black Friday is the perfect day to talk about potential bargains the club could find on the free agent market this offseason.

In case you missed it, the price of pitching, even in a weird offseason where teams and players are uncertain about the future financial outlook of the sport, is still sky high. Dylan Cease, who MLB Trade Rumors had projected to sign a seven-year, $189 million deal earlier this offseason, just got $210 million from the Toronto Blue Jays over seven years. So, yeah, pitching comes with a hefty price tag!

Trust me, a time should come in the nearish future when the Cardinals should be willing to play at the top of the market, but this is not the offseason to do so. Barring someone's market not taking shape like we all thought it would, I would expect the Cardinals to be looking at mid-tier or bargain free agents this year.

Every team should want to try and strike gold in the bargain-free-agent market any offseason, especially when it comes to pitching. Getting a reliever or starting pitcher on a cheap deal who ends up outproducing the money by a wide margin is such an asset in today's game (see Phil Maton for St. Louis this past year), and the Cardinals especially could benefit from hitting on such a deal this offseason.

The names on this list are not flashy, nor are they intended to be. Each of these arms once held a lot more value, but are likely able to be had at a discounted rate this offseason, while boasting the potential to regain their status as valuable arms with strong campaigns. Am I advocating that these are the only types of arms the Cardinals bring in? No, but they'd be wise to look at adding them to their mix alongside other moves this offseason.

Let's take a look at 5 "doorbuster" deals the Cardinals should be taking a hard look at in free agency this year

Taylor Clarke

The Cardinals are set to have a very young bullpen in 2026, and with JoJo Romero drawing interest on the trade market, I expect that group to lose another veteran presence here soon.

Taylor Clarke just wrapped up his sixth big league season and was surprisingly non-tendered by the Kansas City Royals after posting a 3.25 ERA and 3.97 FIP in 51 relief appearances for them. He's now looking for a job with another big league club, and St. Louis would be wise to consider a deal with him.

Clarke's slider, change-up, and sinker were extremely effective pitches for him in 2025, all posting positive run values and rarely allowing damage on those pitches. Unfortunately, his fastball got beat around, allowing a .399 wOBA to opposing hitters. Clarke mostly used the fastball against left-handed hitters, so dropping the pitch entirely or significantly altering his usage of it could yield greater results for him.