Did The Athletic correctly identify the Cardinals' biggest offseason needs?

The Athletic states that the St. Louis Cardinals have three major offseason needs. Bullpen help, a left-handed-hitting infielder, and a starter. How does this all shake out? 

According to analysis done by The Athletic, the Cardinals are “going to continue to build their team through amateur scouting and player development for the long haul, but at the same time they are going to try and find upgrades for the bullpen and would really like to bring in a solid starting pitcher who could help lead the staff.” Furthermore, they believe a left-handed hitting infielder could provide depth off the bench. 

Great aspirations. Wonderful. Enough to make a grown man/woman cry. But how? 

The FA market is thin. Not only is it thin, but it’s rapid. With the lockout approaching, both sides will be desperate. This could harm the Cardinals’ chances of getting significant upgrades. Or, it could land them someone whom they never would’ve gotten under any other circumstance. 

Let’s start with the most glaring need: bullpen assistance. 

The Cardinals desperately need to improve the bullpen 

Last season, the Cardinals ranked 24th in bullpen ERA among all MLB teams. Pair that with a first-time closer who blew eight games, and a collection of other names with multiple blown saves, and you get one major handicap. 

It would be deplorable of the Cardinals to trot out the same group and change nothing. Thankfully, that’s already become impossible. 

St. Louis declined veteran right-hander Ryne Stanek’s option, making him a free agent. Change is on the horizon, but what does it actually look like? 

Firstly, here are some internal options that could factor in next season, who didn’t make much noise in 2026: Matt Svanson (RHP), Cooper Hjerpe (LHP), Tekoah Roby (RHP), Max Rajcic (RHP), Richard Fitts (RHP), Ixan Henderson (LHP), Brandon Clarke (LHP), and many, many more. 

Some of those names are currently working as starters in MiLB. To kill a dated argument: Just because someone starts their MLB career as a reliever doesn’t mean they can’t become a starter later on. The Cardinals would be wise to use at least some of their bullpen vacancies to introduce young arms to MLB competition–almost like a glorified throw day with big-league implications. 

Now, here are the must-use guys. A few arms who pitched last year and need to throw again (at least to start): Riley O’Brien (RHP), George Soriano (RHP), Gordon Graceffo (RHP), Luis Gastelum (RHP), and maybe Justin Bruihl (LHP). 

That’s already a ton of names to sort through, and it leaves out another ten or so who will definitely factor in. 

Finally, here are a few realistic targets the Cardinals could pursue in bullpen free agency: Bryan Abreu (RHP), Shawn Armstrong (RHP), Brooks Raley (LHP), Brock Burke (LHP), Ryan Yarbrough (LHP), Jason Adam (RHP), Pete Fairbanks (RHP), Kenley Jansen (RHP), Caleb Theilbar (LHP), Jonathan Loaisiga (RHP), Jakob Junis (RHP), etc. 

The relief market always has options, even when free agency is thin in totality. 

That said, where do new names slot in? And does it come at the expense of younger arms getting looks? 

If I dove into every single player who may deserve an opportunity next season, this would be 10,000 words long. Instead, let’s look at Roby–a right-hander with premium stuff who just waltzed through the Arizona Fall League (AZFL). 

The Rangers shipped Roby to St. Louis in the 2023 Jordan Montgomery deal. He was considered the highlight piece. 

Injuries have plagued the young buck, but when he’s healthy, he turns heads. 

In this year’s AZFL competition, Roby pitched 9.2 innings, struck out over 12 batters per nine, allowed zero runs, and walked a single opponent. It was a jaw-dropping performance for the top prospect, but did it earn him anything? 

If the Cardinals supplement the bullpen externally, where does that leave Roby, Hjerpe, Clarke, and so many others? 

The point is, St. Louis has so much to unveil that adding to a heaping pile of uncertainty would only further the chaos. 

The bullpen sucked in 2026. It needs to be better in 2027. But that can’t come at the expense of 2028/2029. 

The best route? Sign-and-trade options on low-commitment deals. If the Cardinals want to buy another closer to make O’Brien expendable during trade season, that’s a savvy move, too. 

There are a million ways to slice a bullpen. Volatility and relievers go together like Mizzou Football and winning eight games. 

The Cardinals need to be careful about who they trust out of the pen in 2027. Bullpens on competitive teams are an arm and a leg in a playoff race. For the rebuilding Redbirds, it could serve as a demo for future starters and still potentially improve. 

The Athletic dumbed it down. It ain’t that simple. 

On to the next. 

Does St. Louis really need another starting pitcher? 

The next part of The Athletic’s synopsis of the St. Louis Cardinals comes in the rotation. Last season, the Redbirds finished 12th overall in starting pitcher ERA and tossed the 15th most innings. 

They had volume and performance. Considering the cast, it was more than a surprise. 

Between Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, Quinn Mathews, and Kyle Leahy, preseason inspired minimal hope. 

Now, the Cards are projected to add a starter. After offloading May at the 2026 trade deadline for a premier prospect package, the Redbirds have a flimsy unit. 

Adding from outside the organization almost guarantees improvement. Still, the prospect problem remains. 

Similarly to the bullpen, St. Louis has a group of young starters nearing the next step. 

The problem with these outside additions is that too many new faces can alienate internal options. 

Take Boston’s Kristian Campbell. Although he’s a position player, the example holds. 

The Red Sox have been in “win-now mode” for years, and as a result, they have inadvertently shunned many once-prolific prospects–Campbell being one of them. 

As a minor leaguer, the then-22-year-old hammered pitchers for a .997 OPS across three levels in 2024. That set up one of the loudest prospect hype trains in recent Red Sox history. 

Fast forward a few years, and Campbell is on a contract extension and playing games for Triple-A affiliate Worcester. 

The lesson is that outpacing your internal talent can be as much a hindrance as it is an escalation. 

The Cardinals are entering this realm on the pitching staff. Although they may be able to add another stopgap guy, Dustin May-style, they cannot afford to block top prospects such as Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, and the aforementioned Roby and Hjerpe when they’re ready for starting roles. 

The Athletic is identifying a weakness in the making and ignoring the implications such additions have on a team’s future. 

Potential one-and-done options for the rotation include: Shane Bieber, Martin Perez, Jack Flaherty, Dustin May, and Jeffrey Springs. 

The nonsensical part is that it’ll take much more than one prove-it deal for the Cardinals to make the playoffs. And once you buy into more than just May and Stanek, you’re teetering on 2024 Cardinals territory. Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, Brandon Crawford. Need I say more? 

Time for the infield! 

The Cardinals need a left-handed bench bat

This last tidbit intrigues me. The Cardinals' lack of impact on the rubber has prompted focus on pitching development. They still have legitimate position-player prospects, but many are farther from MLB debuts. 

St. Louis’ projected bench, according to FanGraphs’ roster resource, is: Pedro Pages (C, RHH), Jose Fermin (INF, RHH), Blaze Jordan (1B/3B, RHH), Everson Pereira (OF, RHH). 

That’s a whooooooole lotta righties! And not a lot of productive righties, at that. 

Internal lefty options who could crack the opening-day roster include: Jimmy Crooks (Catcher), Bryan Torres (UTL), Cesar Prieto (INF), Nolan Gorman (DH/3B), and Victor Scott II (OF). 

Respectfully, that cohort doesn’t promote much confidence either. 

The unfortunate part about a shallow free agent market is that the outside options don’t make you smile. 

Some realistic open-market candidates include: Jeff McNeil (INF), Gavin Lux (UTL), Ildemaro Vargas (INF), and J.P. Crawford (SS/2B). All of whom can hit left-handed and wouldn’t cost St. Louis much. 

Still, it’s not very riveting to bookmark a bench bat as a premier offseason decision. Fans clamor for more than mediocre infielders; they want genuine production, in any sense. 

Adding to the bench makes more internal sense than overhauling the bullpen or the rotation. That being said, it has to be a contract you’re comfortable stomaching at any given moment. 

You may have noticed that another infielder named Crawford has been highlighted as a potential target. That recipe isn’t fruitless if executed; just don’t back yourself into a corner over a one-year deal. 

The bench needs a lefty or two, and if the Cardinals aren’t ready to promote legit talent from within, this is the easiest outside addition (besides a bullpen piece or two). 

President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom will have to run the table to churn out a successful 2027 campaign. The Cardinals are as far as they are close to what they seek, and in that middle ground, without unwavering discipline, timeless mistakes are born. 

Don’t sacrifice the future for duct-tape additions. Even so, don’t repeat the same formula if you aren’t ready to trust in your young pieces.  

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow