The Cardinals need a veteran starter this winter, and Nick Pivetta fits the kind of swing they ought to be willing to take.
Pivetta, most recently with the San Diego Padres, also comes with a Chaim Bloom connection that makes the fit even more natural. Bloom and Pivetta crossed paths in Boston, where the Red Sox acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020. Bloom was the chief baseball officer then, in his first season running the organization after Boston moved on from Dave Dombrowski following the 2019 season.
Pivetta was steady enough with the Red Sox and showed flashes of big-time stuff, even if he never fully put it all together there. He left before the 2025 season and then broke out with the Padres.
In 2025, he posted a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts over 181 2/3 innings. That kind of season is exactly why he should be near the top of St.
Louis’ list. If everything clicks and he stays healthy, he has the upside to pitch like a front-of-the-rotation arm.
The concern, of course, is the health piece. In 2026, Pivetta made only eight starts and threw 34 2/3 innings, though he still managed a 2.86 ERA.
He finished the season healthy, but the Padres declined his option and he’s now headed for free agency. At 33, he figures to be looking at a short-term pillow contract after an injury-hit year.
That’s where the Cardinals come in. The idea would be similar to the Dustin May move from last offseason, only with more upside attached.
Pivetta’s 2025 was elite, and even in 2026 he was effective when he took the mound. St.
Louis has shown it can help keep pitchers healthy, and Pivetta likely won’t require a massive financial commitment.
If the Cardinals can land him and get anything close to the 2025 version, they’d have a No. 1 starter, at least for the short term. And if the team falls out of the race by summer, a healthy Pivetta could bring back even more than May did.
He’s a little outside-the-box, and he may cost more than someone like May or Shane Bieber, but the Cardinals should be all over him.
In Other News...
Cardinals Can't Afford To Treat Winn And Burleson Like Trade Chips
Chaim Bloom has already shown he is willing to move veterans to replenish the Cardinals farm system, and the rebuild has still left St. Louis in a better place than many expected. Even after those trades, the club has managed to stay competitive with a younger roster and a stronger talent pipeline, which naturally invites more chatter about what comes next and which players could be used to keep the momentum going.
Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn are the kind of names that can pop up in those conversations, but the Cardinals should be careful not to treat either as a simple trade chip. Both fit the age and control window that make a rebuilding team dangerous in the long run, and both look more valuable to St. Louis as part of the core than as currency for another reset. The organization has spent enough time gathering pieces to know how hard it is to find them. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Are Betting Their Young Core On One New Voice
The Cardinals have turned to Joel McKeithan as the new voice guiding their offense, a move that comes after Brant Browns dismissal and a search that included both internal and external options. McKeithan arrives with a background that includes time as an assistant hitting coach with the White Sox, along with experience in Cincinnati and at Driveline, giving St. Louis a blend of big-league and modern development perspective as it tries to get more out of its lineup.
For a club leaning on a young core, the hire matters because the Cardinals are not just looking for a fresh set of eyes, but a coach who can help shape how that group grows at the plate. McKeithans track record suggests a different voice and a different process, and now the real question is how quickly that approach takes hold once spring work begins. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Have Quietly Helped Their Biggest Weakness
The Cardinals spent the early part of the offseason looking for ways to shore up a bullpen that was one of their biggest issues in 2026, and they may have found a low-cost answer in Eduardo Rivera. St. Louis acquired the right-hander from Boston in exchange for pitching prospect Juan Garcia, betting that Riveras mix of big-league exposure and Triple-A success can translate into a more reliable relief option next season.
Riveras first taste of the majors came in 2026, when he appeared in four games for the Red Sox and struggled to a 6.30 ERA. But his work at Triple-A Worcester was far more encouraging, and that split is exactly what makes this move interesting for the Cardinals: they are trying to buy upside without paying a premium, while giving themselves another arm to compete for a bullpen role in 2027. [Read more 🡒]