Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Are Option For Star Pitcher 'Likely' To Be Free Agent

Will St. Louis sign the star pitcher this winter?

Patrick McAvoy

Aug 10, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Aug 10, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals will need to be aggressive this winter if they don't want 2025 to be another lost year.

St. Louis' roster isn't getting younger, and it won't have Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt around forever. Goldschmidt will be a free agent at the end of the season, and there already has been chatter that he won't be back in town.

The Cardinals need to find a way to add more talent so they can contend in 2025 and beyond. This is the second straight down year for St. Louis and the club is in unfamiliar territory.

Luckily, there will be plenty of options available this winter that could help. St. Louis needs to make a decision about Goldschmidt, add a little more pop to the lineup, and add at least one more starting pitcher.

There are a lot of holes to fix, but St. Louis certainly could do it. One player who they were linked to at points this season and should be once again this winter is Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi has shined for Texas and has been attempting to reach an innings threshold to unlock another year of his deal with the Rangers. He recently did so, but he still is "likely" to enter free agency, according to MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco.

"That’s a high-variance group. (Jacob deGrom), (Tyler Mahle), and (Kumar Rocker) recently returned from Tommy John recoveries," Franco said. "Leiter, Rocker, and Bradford (to a lesser extent) are light on big-league experience. Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney, and José Ureña are headed to free agency. Eovaldi still seems likely to join them. Texas could try to bring Eovaldi back on another multi-year deal and should look for at least one outside acquisition even if they retain him."

If Eovaldi is available, he should be St. Louis' top choice.

More MLB: Cardinals Superstar Predicted To Leave St. Louis In Free Agency

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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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