Could Cardinals Target Rangers $12 Million Former Cy Young To Boost Rotation?

The Cardinals could bring in a St. Louis native to fill out the rotation.

Mar 15, 2024; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; General view of a Texas Rangers hat, glove, and glasses prior to a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of an organizational reset and are actively looking to trade Gold-Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is owed $74 million over the final three seasons of his contract with St. Louis.

St. Louis is looking to trim payroll rather than add to it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't bring in a piece or two from free agency. They could always use some help with their starting rotation.

Once some of the money from Arenado's contract is cleared out, perhaps St. Louis could take a look at right-hander Max Scherzer, who is a St. Louis native. The Athletic lists him as one of the top available free agents.

"Though he turned 40 in July, Scherzer has indicated that he wants to pitch one more season, putting his Cooperstown bid on hold for the time being. His workload has meaningfully declined in recent years, and he’s surely not the 200-inning beast of his prime, but he remains Max Scherzer. We’ll soon find out what that means as he approaches his 41st birthday."

Scherzer missed a good chunk of the 2024 season, landing on the injured list twice. He was limited to nine starts with the Texas Rangers and went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA.

He was effective when he when healthy, so if he can stay off the injured list, he could be a perfect complement to Sonny Gray atop the rotation.

Tim Britton projects that he will land a one-year, $12 million contract. We'll see if the Cardinals take a chance on the 40-year-old.

More MLB: Red Sox Eyeing Cardinals' $74 Million Star In Surprise Way, Per Insider