How do the Cardinals compare to World Series teams in external additions?

One of the biggest talking points of this Cardinals’ offseason is whether the team will make external additions. Free agency isn’t deep this year, but the Redbirds have holes they need to fill. 

Brandon Kiley of BK and Ferrario on 101ESPN recently discussed the team’s current ideology. 

“You cannot do this exclusively with homegrown talent, and right now, the Cardinals are kind of trying to do this with exclusively homegrown talent,” Kiley said. 

“The Brewers in particular, they’ve got six homegrown position players. That’s pretty good. That’s half of your roster from a position player perspective that you developed. That originally entered the minor league system and major league system through the Milwaukee Brewers.

“They also have six position players that were acquired via trade, and one other that was a free agent. In their rotation, if you look at their five guys, it’s two homegrown and three that they traded for. In the bullpen, it’s two homegrown and six that they traded for. So the vast majority of the roster for the Brewers, especially if you look at the pitching side of things, is actually not homegrown.”

Kiley continued, “The Rays even more so. They only have three homegrown position players currently on their active roster. Eight of their position players were traded for, two came via free agency, and one of them they got off waivers. On the pitching side of things, it's the same story. One starter was homegrown; three came via trade. One bullpen arm was homegrown, three were trades, three were free agents, and two came via waivers. In other words, when you look at the roster for the Rays, they only have five homegrown players who’re on their World Series roster.” 

Kiley makes a valid point, as the Cardinals' current roster is stockpiled with homegrown names. At times, last year’s lineup rolled out entire fields of Baby Birds born in the Lou. 

Still, the definition of “homegrown,” although consistent in his terms, may be slightly misguided.

The Rays and the Brewers are still the model for the Cardinals, but it's complicated

Although Kiley proved that this year’s World Series is made up of teams that were stitched together rather than born from within, the logic is sounder than the idea. 

The Brewers and Rays may have gone outside their respective organizations to find talent, but that doesn’t reflect how the Cardinals have long done the same. 

When the Rays go out and sign someone, they turn former Cardinal Ryan Vilade into a serviceable MLB hitter who helps them reach the postseason. 

The Brewers do the same with players like Jake Bauers–an average bat until he found his way to Milwaukee. In 2026, he was among MLB’s most productive hitters. 

The Cardinals have two problems with these kinds of additions. 

Firstly, they have no space. 

Chaim Bloom recently spoke on the Seeing Red podcast with Will Leitch and Bernie Miklasz. When he was asked about potential additions, he said he didn’t want to shy away from “internal competition.” 

Very fair, and it’s a great thing to have. However, when internal competition turns into blockage, you’ve lost the plot. 

The Cardinals have immense talent on the way at nearly every position. Where do these external additions come into play? Just 2027? Is that enough time to nurture consistency with project-type players? It took the Brewers two years to turn Bauers into the NLCS MVP. 

In a word, St. Louis is on the precipice of new. External additions require commitment, and the worst time to commit to anything is right before you’re about to change. The Cardinals don’t even know what the Cardinals are. Why would they keep altering the script? 

Secondly, St. Louis isn’t the same kind of destination for these reclamation projects. 

Dustin May came to the Lou in 2026 and found a bit of his old self, en route to a successful first half before he was flipped at the deadline. But who’re we kidding? He had a 4.55 ERA and ended the season with 0.3 bWAR. That’s not ascension; it’s survival. 

And sure, May was better under the hood than his numbers suggest, which is why the Brew Crew paid a pretty penny for him at the deadline. Still, the Cardinals didn’t turn him into a player they could depend on, even if they made the postseason. 

That’s St. Louis’ biggest difference. The Brewers, Rays, Guardians, and all these other revered organizations go thrifting for players and walk out with Balenciaga. The Cardinals find a Gildan shirt with a picture of Michael Scott on the front. It’s fun, but you’re not exactly turning it into a wardrobe staple.

That leaves the Cardinals with two options. Either A: Develop a superstar. Or B: Go out and get one. 

Current Cardinals’ prospects have superstar tools, but until they put on a show in The Show, it’s all a daydream.  

And if you’re going to sign a superstar, you’ll need an incredible foundation without him, and the will to outbid Steve Cohen and the filthy rich boys in LA. 

Kiley is right; the Cardinals will need outside additions to become a contender again. It’s just how they get there that differs from the teams he mentioned. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow