The St. Louis Cardinals have holes to fill in their rotation this offseason after the recent declining of Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson’s 2025 club options.
If the Cardinals trade three-time All-Star Sonny Gray this winter, which seems like a genuine possibility, then they’ll be left without an ace for 2025 — unless a young homegrown hurler steps up.
Fortunately, St. Louis has options in the free agent market this year. Perhaps the Cardinals could land a future Hall of Fame hurler looking to end his career on a memorable note.
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Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer has decided to return for another season in 2025 and the Cardinals were mentioned among the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals as “best fits” to sign him this winter, according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton’s projection for the St. Louis, Missouri, native.
Scherzer has posted a 215-111 record with a 3.16 ERA, 3,391-to-752 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .220 batting average against and a 1.08 WHIP throughout his 17-season career.
Although the three-time Cy Young recipient has a proven track record, he’s endured several injuries over the past few seasons, plummeting his stock.
According to Spotrac, Scherzer’s projected market value is roughly $15.3 million on a one-year deal, which is fair when compared to Miles Mikolas’s near $18 million contract for 2025. Britton projects the Cardinals could land the two-time World Series champion for an economical $12 million price tag.
Avoiding unnecessary additions to the payroll is crucial for Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak’s game plan for his final offseason as St. Louis’ head honcho. Acquiring a no-brainer Hall of Fame hurler, with ties to St. Louis, for what he’s worth wouldn’t be a waste of chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.’s money.
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