The Cardinals don’t have nearly as simple an offseason blueprint this time around, and that’s what makes Andre Pallante such an interesting name to watch.
A year ago, the path was obvious. Chaim Bloom made it clear he was going to shop veterans, and St.
Louis followed through by dealing Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado. This winter feels different.
The clean, easy trade candidates aren’t staring everyone in the face, though Nolan Gorman still makes plenty of sense as a player the Cardinals could move.
Pallante, though, is the more surprising name to keep in the conversation.
That would be a stunner, no doubt. But if the Cardinals are trying to maximize return, Pallante may be sitting at his highest trade value right now.
He posted a 5.31 ERA in 2025 over 31 starts, then bounced back in 2026 with a 3.83 ERA in 29 starts. That version looked far more like the pitcher who broke out in 2024, when he logged a 3.78 ERA in 29 outings.
The question is what comes next in 2027. The Cardinals can hope the better version sticks, but there’s also a chance the rougher one shows up again.
That uncertainty is exactly why a deal shouldn’t be dismissed outright. Pallante still has two seasons of team control left, and he’s coming off a strong year.
With a weak free-agent market this offseason, this is the kind of window where a team can cash in on a pitcher before the value shifts. A trade would bring back a solid return.
And St. Louis wouldn’t be left scrambling for answers if Pallante were moved.
Michael McGreevy and Kyle Leahy would be locks in the rotation mix for 2027, and Quinn Mathews would be right there as well. The Cardinals also still have Matthew Liberatore and a cluster of pitching prospects in Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Tekoah Roby, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Brandon Clarke.
There’s also a case to be made that they should add a veteran arm, with Shane Bieber or Dustin May mentioned as possibilities.
A 2027 rotation built around McGreevy, Leahy, Mathews, either Roby or Cijntje and either Bieber or May would leave them in strong shape, especially if they also added whatever comes back in a Pallante trade.
He was excellent in 2026. That still doesn’t take the possibility of a move off the table.
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Looking ahead to 2027, the path to a cleaner ninth inning is still unsettled. Luis Gastelum made a noticeable jump over the course of the season even without much experience in save situations, while George Soriano arrived with promise but produced mixed results in his first year with the club. For now, the Cardinals have candidates, but not yet the kind of clear answer teams usually want when the game is on the line. [Read more 🡒]