The St. Louis Cardinals are the definition of where a franchise doesn’t want to be. They’re too old and too expensive to be a rebuilding team. They don’t win enough games and aren’t talented enough to be a competitive team. They’re right in the middle and that’s the worst place you can be.
But the front office has sold everything to keep up. This season, they also decided to buy at the trade deadline rather than trade some of the star players and start a short-term rebuild. They signed big contracts last offseason. If they want to keep up, all signs point to them spending big in free agency.
These three players would be dream signings for St. Louis.
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There has probably been no baseball player whose season was as inconsistent as that of San Francisco Giants star Blake Snell. Snell was expecting a long-term contract during the last offseason, but after his agent Scott Boras completely mishandled the situation, Snell landed a short-term contract with the Giants despite missing spring training.
Missing spring training plagued Snell earlier this year and led many to speculate that he would pick up his huge player option in the 2025 offseason. But now Snell has turned his game around and shown once again that he is a Cy Young-level pitcher, and all signs point to him declining his option and becoming a free agent in pursuit of a multi-year deal.
The Cardinals have already spent a lot of money on their starting lineup, but they need a pitcher like Snell to put him at the top of the rotation. St. Louis could look to trade a player like Miles Mikolas in the offseason to free up salary space and a spot in the rotation.
Snell would be a game changer in St. Louis. He can compete with any pitcher in the league. When Snell is on form, he throws like the best pitcher in baseball. St. Louis needs a certified ace on their team and Snell is the perfect man for that role.
The Cardinals’ outfield has struggled for much of the season. In particular, they haven’t had much power. St. Louis had hoped that Jordan Walker would break through, but his professional career has been rather inconsistent. St. Louis needs a bat that they can use every day in the outfield that can perform and do so with a lot of power.
The biggest breakout in the outfield this season has been Baltimore Orioles star Anthony Santander. The Orioles will be trying hard to re-sign him this offseason, but Santander has played so well that he should get a pretty big contract.
This year, he’s hit .237/.307/.506 with 41 home runs and nearly 100 RBIs. Santander hit a career-high in home runs this season after recording a career-high in doubles last year. It may have taken him a while, but he’s found his rhythm in the major leagues.
Poaching him from Baltimore could prove to be a difficult task considering he played his entire major league career there, but with the right contract, St. Louis could get him. St. Louis needs a power hitter in their outfield and Santander would be the perfect option for that.
The Cardinals appear willing to let their veteran superstar Paul Goldschmidt go as a free agent. If the Cardinals decide to sign Goldschmidt, the chances of them signing New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso drop significantly. However, they could sign Alonso while also signing Goldschmidt to use one of them as a DH.
This suggestion is based on the assumption that St. Louis likely sees Goldschmidt going elsewhere. There aren’t many available upgrades over the aforementioned Goldschmidt, but Alonso is certainly one of those who would be an upgrade.
Alonso has a batting average of .246/.331/.472 with 33 home runs, 31 doubles and 86 RBIs this season. He has consistently proven that he is one of the best power hitters in the entire league. Putting him in the St. Louis lineup would be a dream scenario for Cardinals fans.
Alonso has been talked about as a potential trade target for years. The Mets have decided to keep him, but the relationship may be a little strained due to these transfer talks. Alonso is represented by notorious baseball agent Scott Boras, who is known for getting his clients to accept the contract that comes with the highest price tag.
With the Mets looking to sign Juan Soto this offseason, the Cardinals have the opportunity to snatch Alonso right out from under their noses. Outbidding the Mets might be difficult, but Alonso is the dream replacement for Paul Goldschmidt in St. Louis.
