Cardinals Surprisingly 'Best Fit' For Projected $30M Cy Young Winner

What's next for the Cardinals this winter?

Mar 12, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals may not hand out a massive contract this season, but that doesn't mean that the club won't add anyone this winter.

Free agency is kicking off, and things are about to get interesting across Major League Baseball. There surely will be a flurry of moves across the league in the not-so-distant future. One player who will be interesting to watch for is Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber.

He only made two starts last season and, therefore, will likely get a pillow contract this winter. The Athletic's Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman predicted that he will get a two-year, $30 million deal this winter and had the Cardinals among the "best fits" for him.

"Britton's projection: two years, $30 million," Britton, Jennings, and Gleeman said. "Bieber appeared to be back to his Cy Young-winning form by beginning the season with a 20-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 scoreless innings, but that came to a screeching halt with Tommy John surgery in mid-April. His rehab will likely stretch into next season, so Bieber might have to choose between a short-term deal driven by incentives or a longer-term deal for a discounted annual salary.

"Interested suitors will have to decide how much those two great April starts canceled out what had been a multi-year deadline in which Bieber’s strikeout rate plummeted from 41 percent in 2020 to 20 percent in 2023. At his healthiest, Bieber is one of baseball’s elite starters, but no one can be certain that version still exists."

Bieber is just 29 years old and has a Cy Young Award under his belt, along with two All-Star nods. If the Cardinals want to add, it could make sense to give him a short-term deal to see if he could be an answer for the Cardinals.

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