6 free agents the Cardinals should sign despite the long-term plan

The St. Louis Cardinals are on the right track to giving their fans what they want: a return to the postseason. 2026 is viewed as the true stepping stone towards the next great Cardinals team via the rebuild. Because of that, I have personally raised the expectations going into 2027.

By winning 77 games with a solid core of players, the Cardinals now have a baseline for which to be measured in the near future. With the roster being so young and controlled, there are few openings on the roster which means that Bloom has the potential of trotting out a similar 40-man to what we saw last year. If that is the case, I personally will feel slight disappointment towards Bloom if it comes out that the lack of roster additions was due to lack of aggressiveness.

Chaim Bloom has the ability to supplement a solid Cardinals roster by being aggressively smart on the free agent market

The spots that are clearly available for an upgrade, as noted everywhere else multiple times this offseason, are third base, center field, and the pitching staff. With fans understanding the presence of Jesus Baez and the lack of quality options on the market, Alec Bohm has been a common connection to St. Louis. After some intial hype, it feels as if most people now feel that the current third base options in Blaze Jordan, Thomas Saggese, and even Nolan Gorman would be more palatable than the addition of Bohm.

That is the likely outcome of this interesting winter, but that does not mean that market is completely barren of options. The third base trio and Nathan Church are set to take the starting roles in the field, but there is still talent out there that should push Bloom towards sending an official offer their way.

Lineup Help

Teruaki Sato

Starting with third base, if the Cardinals look to go external to fill the hole they need to shoot higher than mid-tier options. Jazz Chisolm seems like the player with most star power on the third base market, but an unknown who could be the best in this class is Japanese corner infielder Teruaki Sato. As a member of the NPB, Sato has to go through the posting process, which may be interrupted due to the impending work stoppage.

MLB Trade Rumors has the lefty hitting Sato ranked as the 7th-best player on the free agent market this winter. The 28-year-old has been receiving comparisons to Munetaka Murikami, who's player profile has been used to try to predict Sato's market and major league potential. Unlike last season's target, Sato looks to be a decent enough defender to play third base stateside but does have more offensive concerns than Murikami did. Even with those questions, the Cardinals could use this offseason to bet on upside because of the lack of clarity on their hot corner future.

Luis Robert

Moving to Church, I believe he also has plenty of leash on the center field position to start the 2027 campaign. Dalton Varsho is MLBTR's highest-ranked center field option on the market, but the left-handed hitter put up a comparable season to Church by measure of wRC+ despite adding ten more homers.

Next on that list is one of my all-time choices for a Cardinals outfielder and that is Luis Robert Jr. The 29-year-old checks in at #43 despite multiple down seasons marred with injuries and underperformance. Robert has not been able to match his MVP candidate start to his career, with flashing 30/30 potential and solid defense in center. Robert has averaged less than 100 games per season over the last three years, pointing to a potential platoon if a team wants to prioritize health over upside.

For the Cardinals, Robert presents more intrigue than their current option and could be a low-risk placeholder until one of the minor league outfielders forces Bloom's hand in a way that Joshua Baez did last season. They may have to offer slightly more money to head to the vast outfield of Busch Stadium, but he could find more gap success in the middle of an order featuring Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker.

Starting support

In the starting rotation, the Cardinals have plenty of inning eaters who can give the team a chance to win. That is, if the offense can build a lead that the bullpen can support. The St. Louis starting staff finished right near the middle of the pack in terms of fWAR, but their expected stats said they severly outpaced their abilities.

Like the lineup, the high priced options are off the table for the Cardinals, not because they are cheap, but because the dollar amount is going to reach levels that most teams would do well to ignore. The Cardinals are still in need of a legitimate ace, but the way the pitching market has shaped up is that these types of players are also out of the St. Louis contention timelines. This leads me to focusing on a younger arm who has flashed in the past and the international market again.

Patrick Sandoval

Besides my desire to add Kris Bubic, another lefty who has long had my attention is Patrick Sandoval. Sandoval was one of the features in my first ever Redbird Rants article, and much of what I said about him then remains why I am intrigued by his upside.

The 30-year-old returned after missing the 2026 season and looked rusty the entire year. He finished with a 1-7 record but he did show some signs of improvement as the season wrapped up. Sandoval's strikeout rate was near his career-best and his fastball trended back towards his mid-90mph average. Were the Cardinals to miss out on Bubic, a two-year deal for Sandoval would be betting on potential while still having team control to build around him.

Any Japanese free agent pitcher

In addition to Hiromi Itoh and Kaima Taira, Shoki Oda has also entered into the starting pitching market. All three of these pitchers are expected to have multiple clubs interested in their services, but each are at different parts of their careers with differing track records. Even with that, the Cardinals should kick the tires and be contenders for any or all of these top arms.

To sign one of the best Japanese arms, either through the international free agent market or NPB posting system, the acquiring organization will likely have to offer long-term certainty in their role. The Cardinals are at a point in their continued search for a top rotation arm that they can risk the money it will take to sign one of these players.

Bullpen arms

To finsh off the conversation, the spot where Chaim Bloom has to show some level of aggression is the relief corps. As everyone knows, the bullpen was miserable and ignored despite the obvious need to supplement with better talent. Due to the new 77-win baseline Bloom has set, he must invest in the bullpen if he wants me to believe he is committed to winning.

This may mean that Riley O'Brien could be moved out of the closer role if the Cardinals can convince a more experienced, high-leverage arm to head to St. Louis. A shift in innings could make ROB more effective and provide an attractive opportunity for those relievers with closing experience.

Bryan Abreu

One of the more consistent relievers in a setup role for his career, Astros righty Bryan Abreu is likely an attractive target across the league. He has saved at least five games in three of the past five seasons as he has been used as a setup man to top closers in Houston. Abreu has also thrown at least 60 innings in each of the last five years and struck out well more than a batter per inning. He did fight command issues this year, but has still shown the ability to be around the zone enough to be effective.

Gregory Soto

To help support ROB and Abreu, the Cardinals need to bet on high-octane lefty upside for late game matchups. This leads me to fall in love with fiery lefty Gregory Soto, who finished this last season as a closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The flamethrowing lefty will be 32 next year, but his stuff has only improved as he has gotten older.

Soto has 72 saves to his name in his career, meaning the Cardinals could use a matchup-based closer with Soto and whoever of Abreu or O'Brien grab the ninth inning role. If Bloom is able to convince one or both of these arms to come to St. Louis, I will believe he is ready to be aggressive and return to the postseason.

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