Chaim Bloom, the St. Louis Cardinals’ new president of baseball operations, has suggested that he is willing to spend money as long as it is consistent with the larger goal of rebuilding the club’s winning culture. Any free agency investment would have to be done without jeopardizing any progress achieved in player development.
Bloom has expressed interest in acquiring starting pitching to boost a rotation that includes some young arms who could benefit from further development. Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, and Andre Pallante are young and doing their best, but they require some experienced leadership to assist them.
Sonny Gray has made it clear that he wants to play for a winning team and is open to being traded if it benefits both sides. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has stated that he would be happy to keep Gray in St. Louis but would also honor the pitcher’s wishes. If the Cardinals can deal him for quality pitching or a strong outfielder, that would be ideal—but keeping him and adding meaningful talent around him would be even better.
Before Bloom’s arrival, it seemed inevitable that the Cardinals would need to part with one of Gray, Nolan Arenado, or Willson Contreras to secure assets for the future. Fans had grown skeptical of John Mozeliak’s promises, as his repeated talk of exploring trades for Arenado never materialized. That inaction frustrated the fanbase and led to early doubts about Bloom before he even officially began his tenure.
Now, with Bloom in charge, the Cardinals appear more focused and flexible in their approach.
Looking at the upcoming class of free-agent starting pitchers, it’s easy to see why optimism is returning among fans. The market features arms that could immediately bolster St. Louis’s rotation, regardless of Gray’s fate.
Max Scherzer remains a fan favorite and is currently wrapping up the season with the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Though he once expressed interest in joining the Cardinals, his age and durability concerns make him a less reliable option now. Dependability must be a top priority for the Cardinals’ pitching staff moving forward—they can no longer settle for “low-hanging fruit.”
More realistic targets include Walker Buehler, Cal Quantrill, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suárez, Freddy Peralta, Michael King, Zack Littell, Zach Eflin, Tyler Mahle, Lucas Giolito, and Michael Soroka.
There’s also a solid group of veteran pitchers available, such as Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt, Merrill Kelly, Adrian Houser, Jon Gray, Marcus Stroman, Alex Cobb, Tomoyuki Sugano, Kenta Maeda, and Carlos Carrasco.
With so many viable options, the Cardinals are in position to acquire one or two high-caliber starters to strengthen their rotation—whether Sonny Gray stays or goes. This offseason might not be as bleak as some fans fear.