Cardinals Could Target Dodgers Ace Who May Settle For One-Year Deal

St. Louis should be in the mix for a top-tier hurler this winter

Apr 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of an Los Angeles Dodgers player durng a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals currently are one game below .500.

St. Louis currently sits in third place in the National League Central with a 65-66 record and its playoff chances are starting to dwindle. The Cardinals need to get red-hot down the stretch to make up ground in the standings but it's starting to look like a second straight season of missing the playoffs.

The Cardinals will need to go back to the drawing board and adding another frontline starter should be their priority. If they don't want to heavily spend on an ace like Blake Snell, one player who could make sense is Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Walker Buehler.

He's having a down year after missing the entire 2023 season and may have to settle for a one-year deal in free agency, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"At one point, Buehler and (Shane Bieber) looked like two gems in an all-time free-agent pitching class," Passan said. "But their elbows didn't cooperate. Buehler needed a second Tommy John surgery, and his fastball, for so long his biggest asset, hasn't returned to form since he came back in May. Bieber had his Tommy John surgery in April and won't step on a big league mound again until next season.

"For Buehler, a one-year deal makes plenty of sense to find the version of himself who carved lineups and then hit free agency again to cash in after the 2025 season. Bieber's case depends on his rehabilitation. Should he prefer to take 15-plus months returning from the injury, teams could offer him two choices: a low-guarantee, one-year deal, or a two-year deal for significantly more money. If Bieber will be game-ready early in 2025, on the other hand, he could reestablish his value next year and hit the market again as a 30-year-old with the elbow-reconstruction cobwebs shaken off."

Buehler is a two-time All-Star and has been one of the top pitchers in the National League when healthy. He is a bounce-back candidate for the 2025 season and should be considered an option for St. Louis in free agency.

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