Cardinals can reunite with this reliever to fill closer role in 2026 if other pursuits fail

When the St. Louis Cardinals made Luke Weaver a first-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, they had grand designs of making him the heir apparent to Adam Wainwright as the ace of the starting rotation.

That plan never quite worked out, as Weaver never lived up to his Top 100 prospect status in St. Louis. He lasted three years with the Cardinals before being included in the Paul Goldschmidt trade. He then traveled around the league trying to make his way as a starter, but it wasn't until the New York Yankees converted him into a reliever in 2024 that he emerged as the high-quality arm many thought he would be.

Now, after two years of dominating out of the bullpen in the Bronx, Weaver is set to be a free agent, and he should be well rewarded for his efforts as a reliever. However, as a 32-year-old who struggled down the stretch in 2025, he may be forced to settle for a short-term contract.

If that comes to pass, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes Weaver could be a good fit as the Cardinals' closer during their rebuild.

Luke Weaver reunion could be in the cards if Cardinals settle for veteran relievers

Like with Kyle Finnegan and Brad Keller -- two other free-agent relievers Bowden attached to the Cardinals -- Weaver makes sense as a sign-and-flip candidate if the Cardinals are looking for a short-term veteran replacement for Ryan Helsley.

He's accrued a 3.21 ERA in 126 appearances over the past two seasons, which also includes 12 saves. He's been worth 2.7 WAR in that time while striking out 29.5% of opposing batters.

His issue is that he allowed a 4.40 ERA in the second half of this past season, which came alongside a spike in his walk rate and line-drive-allowed rate. There shouldn't be too many fears that his stuff has fallen off a cliff, though; his chase (32.8%) and whiff rates (31.0%) still rated out as elite in 2025.

If that downturn in production does affect his market (Bowden projects a two-year, $20 million contract for Weaver), the Cardinals shouldn't hesitate to ring his phone. There's no one on the roster that proved themselves worthy of the closer job in the second half, and Weaver's experience in that role (he had four saves in the postseason in 2024) would serve the Cardinals well.

Coming back to St. Louis would also be a good chance at redemption for the now-veteran pitcher, who simply didn't live up to the hype in the early part of his career. He could serve as Oli Marmol's chief fireman through the team's upcoming rebuild, or emerge as a sought-after trade chip that brings back more prospect talent to the farm system.

Either way, as long as the money is in range, St. Louis should take a long and hard look at their 2014 first-round pick in free agency.