Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Advised To Reunite With Projected $16 Million All-Star

Would the Cardinals consider such a move?

Patrick McAvoy

Mar 26, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; The New York Mets logo stands in center field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Mar 26, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; The New York Mets logo stands in center field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals could make some changes without breaking the bank.

Although the Cardinals widely are expected to reset the organization with an eye toward the future, that doesn’t mean the team can’t surprise us in 2025. 

One team to look to is the New York Mets. While the Mets had a sky-high payroll in 2024, a lot of the money was tied up in previous deals involving players not on the roster – like Max Scherzer – making the overall number look worse. The Mets took things slow last offseason and opted for cheap, short-term deals with veterans hoping to bounce back.

The approach clearly worked and the Mets surprisingly made a deep playoff run and even gave the Los Angeles Dodgers some fits.

If the Cardinals don’t want to completely phone in the 2025 season, it could make sense to bring in a veteran or two with upside on cheap deals and just see what the team can do next year. One player who was suggested as a fit is former Cardinals hurler José Quintana by Fox Sports’ Deesha Thosar.

“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 José Quintana. After a 4.33 rotation ERA that ranked 20th in baseball, the Cardinals should be shooting for significant upgrades here.”

Quintana spent time with St. Louis in 2022 and had a 2.01 ERA across 12 starts. He spent the 2024 season with the Mets and had a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts. Spotrac is projecting him to get a two-year deal worth just $16 million this winter. If the Cardinals want to add at all, they should reunite with the All-Star.

More MLB: Cardinals Urged To Pair Ryan Helsley With Ex-Yankees $86 Million Star

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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