The St. Louis Cardinals could use some big upgrades after two straight seasons of missing the playoffs.
While this is the case, the more likely option for the Cardinals seems to be tearing down the roster and beginning a rebuild. It may not be a long process, but it seems like the Cardinals are going to make serious changes with Nolan Arenado, Ryan Helsley, and Sonny Gray all in trade rumors.
Things could always change, but the 2025 season will be the last one with John Mozeliak at the helm as the team’s president of baseball operations. Chaim Bloom will be taking over afterward so it would be surprising to see the team make any long-term commitments to maximize flexibility for him once he has the job.
While this is the case, Fox Sports’ Deesha Thosar suggested Atlanta Braves star Max Fried as a fit.
“Starting pitching: Since Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are free agents after decent one-year stints with the Cardinals, and Miles Mikolas shouldn’t be counted on to bounce back after his abysmal 2024 season, St. Louis could use a top-end starting pitcher who is, preferably, left-handed,” Thosar said. “The top two southpaws on the market are Blake Snell and Max Fried, and a tier or two below is left-hander Jose Quintana. After a 4.33 rotation ERA that ranked 20th in baseball, the Cardinals should be shooting for significant upgrades here.”
Landing someone like Fried would be great if money wasn’t an issue. He’s projected to get a $136 million deal over six years by Spotrac and it wouldn’t be shocking to see competition drive that number even higher.
He would be an awesome pickup for the Cardinals but sadly it doesn’t seem possible at this time.
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