Dream St. Louis Cardinals rotation for the 2026 season as trade rumors swirl

Close your eyes. Envision a (realistic) dream starting rotation for the St. Louis Cardinals. What does it look like? Who is at the top of the rotation? Which homegrown players make the cut? Are the newbies brought in via trade or free agency?

I would imagine there are hundreds of variations of a 2026 rotation for the Cardinals coming into picture now across the fanbase. We can at least be sure that Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde won't be in the rotation next year!

Chaim Bloom appears to be willing to get creative this offseason in his dealings. Reports have surfaced that the Cardinals could be one of the most active teams this winter when it comes to deals, and it's even been reported that the Cardinals will look to add at least one starting pitcher to add to a rotation that doesn't generate much confidence in its current iteration.

Earlier this week, I wrote a story about a dream St. Louis Cardinals lineup for 2026. Give that story a read here.

Without further ado, let's build a dream rotation for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026.

#5 starter: RHP Kyle Leahy

Let's start things off with a surprise here. I have Kyle Leahy penciled in as the Cardinals' fifth starter in a dream rotation for 2026.

Towards the end of the 2025 season, whispers surrounding Kyle Leahy's switch to the rotation grew. In fact, Leahy was given a start against the Chicago Cubs on September 28th in Matthew Liberatore's stead. In that start, Leahy went three innings, striking out one and not issuing a single walk. He allowed one hit and escaped without giving up a run. It was, hopefully, a peek into what Leahy could do given a full run at starting.

Leahy finished 2025 with a 3.07 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP in 88 innings. He posted a 3.03 ERA with a 9.8 K/9 rate in the second half. Opponents posted a .631 OPS against him in the second half. If Leahy can build on that success after the All-Star Break, he could be a potent starting pitcher next year.

Kyle Leahy made 62 appearances last year for Oliver Marmol, and he went two innings or longer in 20 of those outings. He's no stranger to pitching multiple innings, as he was once a starting pitcher up until the 2023 season.

Leahy boasts a deep repertoire that includes a four-seam fastball that sits 95-96 MPH with a curveball that features excellent movement. He also employs a slider, sweeper, changeup, and a sinker. He uses all of these pitches well, and this deep mix of pitches should bode well if he were to move into the rotation.

2026 should be a year where the rotation gets tested. If the Cardinals want to see who can be a part of the rotation long term, throwing pitchers into the fire next year should be the plan. Kyle Leahy deserves a chance to start in 2026 based on his production in 2025, and he can slot in nicely at the bottom of the rotation in this dream setup.