The Cardinals have a rotation puzzle to solve heading into the 2027 Major League Baseball season, and one familiar name is already back in the conversation.
At the moment, Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante look like the safest bets to open the year in the rotation. Quinn Mathews also made a strong enough impression down the stretch that he could be in that mix from the start.
Matthew Liberatore remains another possibility, though after a brutal 2026 season, his status is far from settled. With prospects on the way, St.
Louis still needs one more veteran arm to help round out the group.
That has naturally led to speculation about a possible reunion with Dustin May, who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the trade deadline.
On Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch addressed the idea and pointed to the main hurdle that could keep it from happening.
"There is, of course, May," Goold wrote. "He maintains a favorable view of the Cardinals and their pitching support structure. But the right-hander will first see if there is a multi-year offer, and that’s unlikely to come from the Cardinals."
That’s the catch. A multi-year deal does not appear likely from St. Louis right now, and if May’s market moves in that direction, the Cardinals may be out before they even get a chance to make a real run at him.
Still, the fit is easy to see. The Cardinals signed May to a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season last offseason, and he delivered a useful stretch in St.
Louis. He made 21 appearances, posted a 4.38 ERA and recorded 106 strikeouts against 35 walks over 109 innings.
In his 21 starts, he gave the Cardinals a chance to win in most of them, and he allowed more than four runs only five times in a Cardinals uniform.
If May ends up back in the short-term market, St. Louis would make plenty of sense.
The first go-round worked. He helped the Cardinals stay in games, then was dealt with JoJo Romero in a package that brought back two prospects, No. 5 prospect Alexander Frias and No. 11 prospect Josiah Ragsdale.
The payroll is low, and the Cardinals clearly need another arm. May is available again, and if his market never gets to the point of a lucrative multi-year contract, St. Louis should be ready to pounce.
If not May, the Cardinals should still have veteran pitching options on their radar, including Shane Bieber, Nick Martinez, Casey Mize, Kevin Gausman, Jack Flaherty, Kris Bubic and Michael King.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Delicate Pitching Balance This Offseason
The Cardinals are heading into the offseason with a fairly clear pitching checklist, even if the exact names remain fluid. The rotation has a promising young core, but St. Louis is still expected to shop for a starter with upside while also looking at one or two veteran relievers to steady the bullpen. It is the kind of balancing act front offices face when they want to improve now without boxing out the younger arms they hope will matter down the line.
There is also a specific opening to address after the departure of Dustin May, which adds a little urgency to the search. Free agency has already produced a familiar list of possibilities for the Cardinals, including Kris Bubic, Casey Mize, Shota Imanaga and Jack Flaherty, but no moves have been made yet. For now, the plan seems to be as much about fit and timing as it is about talent, with St. Louis trying to strengthen the staff without clogging the path for its next wave of pitchers. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Could Have A Rare Shot At A Superstar Bat
A financial cloud hanging over San Diego has opened the door to an unusual kind of Cardinals speculation, and Fernando Tatis Jr. sits at the center of it. The Padres star has already built a resume that makes him one of the sports most recognizable bats, and his long-term contract only adds to the complexity of any possible move. For St. Louis, the idea is less about rumor for rumors sake and more about whether a rare superstar opportunity could ever align with a club that has been searching for a jolt.
There are plenty of hurdles before anything like that becomes real, starting with Tatis no-trade protection and the sheer difficulty of prying a player of his stature loose. Still, the new collective bargaining agreement and the Cardinals roster situation make this one worth keeping on the radar, even if it remains only a possibility for now. For a team that could use impact talent, the mere fact that this conversation exists says plenty about how unusual the market might become if San Diegos uncertainty deepens. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Interest In J.P. Crawford Sparks A Bigger Third Base Debate
The Cardinals search for help at third base has opened the door to an interesting possibility in J.P. Crawford, whose bat against right-handed pitching makes him a plausible platoon fit. On paper, he would give St. Louis a more established option at a spot where the club has been weighing short-term stability against long-term development.
But any move in that direction would come with a familiar cost: fewer reps for Blaze Jordan and Thomas Saggese, two young players the organization seems intent on evaluating. Crawford could make the lineup look cleaner in the moment, yet the Cardinals may decide the bigger priority is keeping those at-bats available for the younger group rather than narrowing the path with another veteran stopgap. [Read more 🡒]