8 free agent signings that would be fun to see the Cardinals make

Former Cardinals

Kolten Wong

Kolten Wong was with the St. Louis Cardinals for the first eight of his eleven professional seasons. Wong was able to secure an extension during his arbitration years, and he was most known for his savvy defensive plays. His best offensive season with the Cardinals was in 2019 where he slashed .285/.361/.423 for an OPS+ of 108.

A reunion with Wonger would be more so for nostalgic reasons. Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman will have their hands full at second base, and Tommy Edman and Matt Carpenter can spell either or fill in due to injuries. Kolten Wong was admittedly one of my favorite players of the 2010s, so I would love to see him come back to the Cardinals for one more year. He is only thirty-three, so it's likely that he won't retire anytime soon.

Trevor Rosenthal

The fellas over on the Noot News Podcast and here on Redbird Rants have been clamoring for a Trevor Rosenthal signing for months now. Rosenthal, also thirty-three, is returning from Tommy John surgery last year. Rosenthal expects to be ready to play again at some point this summer.

In the past, Trevor Rosenthal has shown interest in returning to the place where he started his career. He hasn't logged major league innings since 2020 with the Padres, but in his prime, Rosenthal was known for high strikeout rates, a wicked fastball, and strong peripherals. The Cardinals could offer Trevor Rosenthal a minor league contract, thus making it a low-risk expenditure.

Brad Miller

Brad Miller is a journeyman. He started his career in Seattle, then spent some time in Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Philadelphia before spending one season in St. Louis. He returned to Philly in 2021, and he has spent the last two seasons playing for the Texas Rangers.

Brad Miller, for as brief as his stint was in St. Louis, was quite effective in the COVD-shortened 2020 season. Miller, thirty-four now, slashed .232/.357/.451 that year, but he was able to hit seven home runs in only forty-eight games. His exit velocities are typically near the top of percentile charts, and he has shown a propensity to draw walks and avoid strikeouts for his career.

Miller is exclusively a designated hitter at this point in his career, but he could theoretically fill in at third base, first base, or second base in an extreme pinch. In an even more extreme pinch, Brad Miller could even pitch. He has pitched two innings in his career, and he has given up three earned runs. Brad Miller likely won't play much, but he was an exciting player during his short tenure in St. Louis, and if I had to watch a position player pitch (aside from Masyn Winn), Miller would be my pick.