The Cardinals have a unique sales pitch for free agent starters that no one has

Being a rebuilding team in the Midwest, the St. Louis Cardinals don't exactly have a flashy sales pitch to free agents this offseason.

If a contender comes calling, players will likely prioritize them. If they can flock to better weather, they probably will. But the Cardinals do have things to offer free agents who are looking for a home this offseason, and one thing in particular may give them a unique leg up on their competitors.

The Cardinals' ability to keep pitchers healthy can be appealing to free agents.

There are plenty of free agent starters this offseason who have elite stuff or can be high-upside plays, but they have struggled to remain healthy during their big league careers. Well, the Cardinals have been an anomaly as of late in their ability to keep their pitchers healthy over the course of the season.

In 2025, John King was the only pitcher on the Major League staff who hit the injured list. The year prior, their rotation stayed mostly intact as well, with only Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn missing small bits of time. That's truly a miracle in today's game, where teams can have close to a dozen pitchers on their injured list at any given time.

This wasn't by accident, either. The Cardinals were intentional about trying to keep pitchers healthy, developing plans to manage their workload and keep them fresh as the year went on. Now, to be fair, the Cardinals had a staff full of arms, especially in their rotation, that didn't necessarily throw crazy hard stuff that would lead to injuries, but still, they stayed healthy.

For free agent starters looking to rebuild their value in 2026, finding a landing spot that provides opportunity is important, but the ability to stay healthy is huge as well. Couple those with pitching in a weak division at a pitcher-friendly ballpark with a great defense behind them, and that makes St. Louis a much more appealing destination for free agents. A new player development group in town should also inspire some confidence in potential free agents who could desire a transformation in their game.