The Cardinals are heading into an offseason that feels different from the one before it. After missing the postseason for the fourth straight year, St. Louis is past the stage of shuffling veterans out the door and into a winter where free agency could matter more than it has in a while.
That doesn’t mean a splash is coming. It does mean the front office has a few clear areas to address if it wants the 2027 club to look more stable.
Third base sits near the bottom of the wish list, even if the opening there is obvious now that Nolan Arenado is gone. Nolan Gorman didn’t give them much there, and while Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan showed promise, neither has locked down the job for the long term.
The Cardinals are still in rebuild mode, though, and that changes the calculus. They do have internal options who could be ready by 2028, including Jesus Baez, so waiting may make more sense than chasing a short-term fix.
If they do look outside the organization, Luis Arraez and Alec Bohm are names that could come into play.
A more pressing need could be in the rotation, where the Cardinals were mostly solid in 2026. The group wasn’t overpowering, but it did enough to keep games competitive and give the team a chance most nights. That makes a veteran starter a logical place to start in free agency.
Dustin May filled that kind of role last year after the Sonny Gray trade, and he’s back on the market again. He would fit what St.
Louis is trying to build. Shane Bieber is another possible target, and the Cardinals would benefit from adding a starter who is working to rebuild his value while also giving younger pitchers someone experienced to learn from.
May handled that job well before he was dealt to the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.
The bullpen, though, was the real problem in 2026. Riley O'Brien led the National League in saves, but even he faded late in the season. That makes it easy to see why the Cardinals might want someone with closing experience to help ease the load on him.
They also need a left-handed reliever after JoJo Romero’s departure.
If St. Louis can sharpen the bullpen, it gives the team a better chance to take a step forward in 2027. That still doesn’t guarantee a playoff run, but it would put the Cardinals in position to get better results than they did this year.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Frustrate Fans
The Cardinals have another offseason call to make on a bullpen arm, and it comes with a price tag that could push the organization toward a familiar kind of calculus. By Nov. 2, St. Louis has to decide whether to pick up veteran reliever Ryne Staneks $6 million club option for the 2027 season, a figure that sits squarely in the range of decisions that tend to test a front offices willingness to pay for reliability.
Stanek gave the Cardinals plenty of innings in 2026, working in 70 games and finishing with a 4.02 ERA after settling in following a rough opening stretch. Even so, the cost of bringing him back at the option number could make the club hesitate, especially if the belief is that he might return on a lower deal once the market resets. For a bullpen that will always be judged on both effectiveness and efficiency, this is the kind of move that can leave fans wondering whether the safe choice and the smart one are the same thing. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Head Into A Pivotal Offseason With Familiar Names At Risk
With the 2026 season in the books, the Cardinals are already shifting into a winter defined by hard choices and familiar names. Nolan Gorman, Ryan Stanek, Yadier Herrera and Juan Yepez are all among the players the front office may have to weigh against roster fit and future needs as St. Louis starts mapping out its 2027 plan.
The biggest pressure points are easy to spot: third base, catcher and designated hitter all loom as spots the Cardinals may want to address. That leaves this offseason with a familiar St. Louis feel, where the decisions are less about chasing new faces than deciding which current pieces still belong in the conversation and which ones could be moved on from. [Read more 🡒]
Lance Lynn Just Framed A Cardinals Bullpen Fix Fans Will Debate
The Cardinals bullpen has been one of the quiet pressure points around the roster, and a familiar voice helped put some names on the board this week. On the Cardinal Territory podcast, former St. Louis right-handers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson talked through the idea of adding relief help, with Lynn zeroing in on a few arms who could fit what the club is trying to solve in the late innings.
The discussion centered on Evan Phillips, Pete Fairbanks and Jose Alvarado as possible prove-it targets, the kind of pitchers whose recent track records make them easy to debate in a front office room and among fans alike. Each brings a different profile, and each would represent a meaningful swing at stabilizing a bullpen that still looks like it needs another trusted option or two before anyone can feel settled. [Read more 🡒]