Bo Bichette might be the perfect free agent to start the Cardinals' return to relevance

Chaim Bloom and the ownership duo of Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III have been adamant that the organization will spend when the time is right for the St. Louis Cardinals. With the team heavily outperforming preseason projections this year and a top farm system that's churning out prospects regularly, the time to spend may be closer than any of those three men initially anticipated. There is one potential free agent who could be the perfect fit for the St. Louis Cardinals, and that is third baseman Bo Bichette.

Bichette, who will turn 29 before the start of the 2027 season, is having a fine season this year with a .265/.317/.300 slash line with 16 home runs and 73 runs batted in through 144 games. He's been exceptionally healthy this year, and his production has certainly ramped up in the second half.

The two-time All Star has primarily played third base this year with Francisco Lindor being entrenched as the Mets' everyday shortstop. However, Bichette has still managed to play 47 games at shortstop this year, a position he exclusively played before 2026.

Bichette was never a fantastic defender at shortstop, but he's been at least competent at third base this year. In 802.2 innings, Bichette has made five errors for a fielding percentage of .974, fourth-best among third basemen with at least 800 innings at the hot corner. He's a negative defender according to Outs Above Average (-2 OAA), but Defensive Runs Saved isn't as fond of his efforts (-7 DRS).

While Bichette defense would be a step down from Nolan Arenado's the last few years and Nolan Gorman's this year, his leadership, offensive potential, and personality would be welcome in a budding dugout.

Bichette has two years and $84 million remaining on his contract, and he has a player option for the 2027 season with a $5 million buyout tag attached. He might be foolish to opt out of $42 million in each of the next two years, but he could land a contract with a more competitive (and competent) team than the New York Mets while still having contractual flexibility.

Jeff Passan even dubbed Bichette's potential free agency a "coin flip".

If Bichette does opt out, the Cardinals should give him a call.

Bo Bichette might be the perfect free agent signing as the St. Louis Cardinals enter their competitive window.

2026 was supposed to be a year where the Cardinals didn't even sniff the playoffs. They were projected to finish the year with about 70 wins, and they've already eclipsed that figure with just 15 games to go in the 2026 season.

Therefore, St. Louis's front office may have to act earlier in free agency than they initially expected. There's a chance the front office and ownership group could start spending money in free agency, and this winter may be their chance, especially if a salary cap is enforced coming out of CBA negotiations.

Spending money on third base, a spot where St. Louis ranks 27th in bWAR, would be a good place to start.

Bo Bichette is young compared to most free agents, and his postseason acumen and clubhouse leadership has been positively noted throughout his career. He has yet to return to his peak production years of 2019-2023, but an offensive resurgence that featured him batting .311 with a 128 OPS+ in 2025 show that there's still plenty left in the tank for Bichette. He's always been one of MLB's best pure hitters, and that production would go a long way in a young Cardinals lineup.

St. Louis has several interesting players at third base, most notably prospect Jesus Baez, who has 38 home runs across the minors this year. However, Baez is still at least one year away from the majors, likely seeing a promotion late in 2027 or early in 2028. Thomas Saggese has been quite good since his recent promotion. Even Blaze Jordan and Nolan Gorman could get one more shot at proving their value at third base.

These players have either all been underwhelming or lack assurance. Bo Bichette offers St. Louis stability and potential that they haven't seen since prime Nolan Arenado at third base. He won't come cheap, but the time where money must be spent is coming, and the Cardinals don't want to miss a potentially golden opportunity to improve a position of weakness and help out their clubhouse.

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