Hometown free agents who could give the St. Louis Cardinals a discount this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't spent a penny this offseason via free agency. There is still time, but their involvement in the free agent market is dependent on trades of players away from the club. If any combination of Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, Steven Matz, and/or Ryan Helsley is dealt this offseason, John Mozeliak will have to find outside help.

One theme of the free agent market this winter has been players taking discounts to go back home. The Cardinals saw this in a sense last offseason when Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson all desired to come to St. Louis. Each of these players either lived near St. Louis or had strong ties to the organization geographically.

This offseason, players like Corbin Burnes and Chris Martin took pay cuts to pitch closer to home. Burnes, a Scottsdale resident, wanted to stay close to his hometown. Therefore, he sacrificed millions of dollars and signed a six-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Martin, a native of Arlington, Texas, signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. Martin, too, could have signed for significantly more money had he signed with a different team.

It's no secret that the Cardinals are in a bit of a budget crunch. A discounted TV deal, a decrease in fan attendance, and investments in player development have taken money away from the big-league roster. Payroll has already been cut by over $40 million thanks to the departures of free agents like the aforementioned Lynn and Gibson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Andrew Kittredge. It could be slashed even further if Arenado, Fedde, or Matz are traded.

Therefore, the Cardinals should look for discounts wherever they can get them this offseason. Those markdowns could come via local free agents.

There are three players who are still available who have connections to St. Louis and could be interested in returning home: starting pitcher Max Scherzer and relievers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently reported that the club is interested in finding a veteran reliever or swingman to add to the roster following some trades of current players. Each of these locals -- yes, Scherzer included, fit that bill.

Max Scherzer and the St. Louis Cardinals joining forces is a tale as old as time; the two parties have been ships passing in the night. While signing the 40-year-old starter now won't amend Mozeliak's past mistakes, it would go a long way in rectifying those wrongs.

Scherzer has thrown only 196 innings these last two seasons due to injuries, but he has a 3.81 ERA and a 109 ERA+ in that span. He is still striking out batters at an above-average rate, and he would be an interesting depth starter for the Cardinals next year. He won't log the innings that pitchers like Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Miles Mikolas will, but he would be a potent back-end starter. Mad Max could also attract a few more fans for the DeWitt family.

Scherzer, a St. Louis native, has been projected to receive as much as $15 million in free agency, but he, like Burnes and Martin, might be willing to forego some cash to come back home.

Ryne Stanek is another St. Louis native. While he went to high school just outside Kansas City, he still has roots in St. Louis. Stanek was a vital member of the Houston Astros bullpen from 2021 through 2023, but he struggled last year with both the Mariners and Mets. He finished 2024 with a 4.88 ERA, 4.14 FIP, and a 1.319 WHIP. He struck out 67 batters in 55.1 innings.

Stanek would be a cheap addition to the relief corps, and he could even find innings late in games in 2025.

Phil Maton isn't from St. Louis, but he's definitely from Cardinal Nation. Maton was born in Paducah, Kentucky, a Cardinal fan hotbed. Maton also grew up in Chatham, Illinois, another area known to be full of Redbird supporters.

Maton would be a higher-end acquisition compared to Ryne Stanek. He had a 3.66 ERA and a 4.26 FIP in 64 innings last year. Maton, 31, could be seeking a multi-year deal this offseason. Spotrac estimates Maton's value to be around $4 million, and that definitely fits the Cardinals' price range.

The Cardinals were once an idyllic location for free agents. They appear to have been passed by teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. They can, however, take advantage of hometown players. Max Scherzer, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek all fit that bill.