The Cardinals know the pitching picture still needs work before the 2027 season arrives, and the safest path may be the one that doesn’t blow up the budget. St.
Louis has a wave of young arms in the system, but that group is still a waiting game. Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tanner Franklin, Brandon Clarke and Tekoah Roby all have the kind of upside that could matter in the rotation down the road.
The catch is simple: nobody knows exactly when those arms will be ready, or how quickly they’ll settle in once they get there.
That leaves the Cardinals looking for veteran innings now, plus more help in the bullpen. Free agency should give them a chance to fill both needs, and there are several relatively affordable names who could make sense.
Kyle Schreiber is one of the cheaper bullpen targets on the board. Spotrac projects his market value at a little more than $2.8 million on a one-year deal.
In 2026, he posted a 3.28 ERA across 66 total appearances between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees. His work for New York was especially sharp, with a 1.64 ERA in 11 outings down the stretch.
Rounding out the relief group, Ryan Yarbrough also looks like a low-cost fit. Spotrac projects him at about one year and $2.66 million. He finished 2026 with a 3.69 ERA in 38 appearances for the Yankees.
One name with a little more upside is Lucas Giolito. He has an $8 million mutual option with the San Diego Padres, and those deals are usually declined.
If he gets to free agency, he could be a very appealing buy-low arm for St. Louis.
Giolito had a 5.16 ERA in seven appearances with San Diego, including five starts, but he signed late and never had much time to settle in. Before that, he logged a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts for the Boston Red Sox in 2025.
Another starter worth watching is Jordan Montgomery. He worked out of the Texas Rangers bullpen in 2026 and posted a 4.15 ERA in 13 appearances after missing the entire 2025 season.
In 2024, he pitched in 25 games for the Diamondbacks after signing late. This time around, he enters the winter healthy and with a full offseason in front of him, which makes him the kind of rebound bet the Cardinals should be considering for 2027.
The list also includes Paul Blackburn, who is coming off a strong year with the Yankees. The former All-Star put together a 1.69 ERA in 62 appearances and is projected by Spotrac to receive just over $7.6 million on a one-year deal.
Then there’s Jonathan Loaisiga, who turned in a 2.42 ERA in 67 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2026. His projected contract sits in the neighborhood of $15.9 million over two seasons, making him the priciest name among this group, but still one that fits the Cardinals’ need for pitching depth.
In Other News...
Matthew Liberatore Put The Cardinals In A Tough Offseason Spot
Matthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals a heavy workload in 2026, taking the ball for 31 starts and logging 155 innings, but the season did not leave St. Louis with an easy read on where he fits next. His run prevention slipped, his opponent OPS climbed and the numbers pointed to a pitcher who had a harder time as games went deeper, especially when hitters saw him multiple times.
The bigger concern is what happened when his secondary pitches lost their bite, because that opened the door for right-handed hitters and made the rest of his profile look far less stable. St. Louis now has to decide whether that means a move to the bullpen, a trade possibility or simply a different role inside the organization, even though Liberatore is expected to be around next season in some capacity. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Could Revisit A Familiar Rotation Fix This Winter
The Cardinals offseason search for rotation help may lead them back to a name they moved on from earlier this year. Dustin May, who was traded to Milwaukee in 2026 as part of a deal that sent St. Louis prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale the other way, is now expected to hit free agency with a mutual option likely to be declined.
For a club that needs a veteran starting pitcher, the fit is obvious enough to keep the idea alive. St. Louis has already seen enough of May to know what he can bring, and with the winter market taking shape, a reunion would give the Cardinals a familiar route to stabilizing the rotation without having to start entirely from scratch. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Have Found A Faster Path For Rainiel Rodriguez
Rainiel Rodriguez turned enough heads with a breakout 2026 season to push himself all the way to Double-A, and now the Cardinals are looking at an even more aggressive way to move their top prospect along. Rodriguez is still a catcher by trade, but St. Louis has been willing to test him at third base, a spot that could give his bat a clearer route to the majors and address an area where the organization has less depth.
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom confirmed Rodriguez has taken reps there, which is enough to show this is more than idle speculation. The appeal is obvious: if Rodriguez can handle a new position, the Cardinals may be able to keep his offensive momentum moving while removing some of the traffic jam that often slows a young catchers climb. The real question is whether the organization pushes that experiment far enough to change his long-term path. [Read more 🡒]