8 offseason targets for Chaim Bloom to shore up the Cardinals rotation

Martin Perez

One of Bloom's first signings when he took over in Boston, Martin Perez spent two seasons with the Red Sox during Bloom's tenure, appearing in 48 games, 34 of which were starts, and posting a 4.65 ERA in the process.

Not exactly glowing numbers for the southpaw, but Perez has managed a very productive 14-year big league career up until this point, covering 1631.2 innings of work to the tune of a 4.41 ERA. While Perez wouldn't be the most exciting signing Bloom could make, he does have familiarity.

Perez has also been on a bit of a resurgence over the last year and a half. After landing with the San Diego Padres in the second half of 2024, Perez posted a 3.46 ERA, and followed that up with 11 appearances (10 starts) with the White Sox that resulted in a 3.54 ERA, but he missed four months of the 2025 season with a flexor strain and was removed from his final start of the year with shoulder soreness.

The injuries this past year are very concerning, but again, like Heaney, they likely bring his cost to acquire down since there will be concern over his health. When you go bargain shopping, you can't be all that picky. There is risk in every free agent signing, and when you get to the "bottom of the barrel," the cost to acquire is smaller, but the odds that they turn out to be some amazing investment also shrink, at least in terms of producing a highly productive player.

Perez would bring a lot of veteran leadership to the Cardinals' clubhouse, and was also on the same 2023 Texas Rangers' World Series team that Heaney was on. Perez is far from an exciting brand of pitcher, but he gets the job done, and that's a major part of what the Cardinals will be wanting from a depth arm. It's just as much about what they may end up providing surplus-wise as also protecting their young players from being rushed.

I do wonder too how much a veteran lefty in the mix could be helpful for Liberatore, Mathews, Doyle, or any other lefties that potentially make it up to St. Louis in 2026. Perez would be an interesting fit in St. Louis for a number of reasons.