Rangers Projected $12M Star Advised To Leave TEX To Join Cardinals

Would the Cardinals consider a deal for the future Hall of Famer?

Sep 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to make plenty of changes this winter but they still will need to field a roster for the 2025 season.

There has been a lot of doom and gloom about the Cardinals already since the 2024 regular season ended. St. Louis is looking to trim payroll -- which already has significantly -- and rebuild the organization. This could be interpreted as the team thinking they aren't going to be competitive in 2025.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak made it known that he isn't planning on the team phoning it in next season and hopes to still find a way to stack up wins. It seemed like the roster was going to be completely torn down, but Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras both have made it known that they want to stay. Others could as well.

The Cardinals will let some players go and likely won't spend heavily this winter, but that doesn't mean that it won't add some talent and maybe surprise some people next year. One player the Cardinals were urged to look into is Texas Rangers star Max Scherzer by The Athletic's Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman.

"Scherzer spent parts of 2024 on the IL, first recovering from offseason back surgery, then shoulder fatigue and again with a strained hamstring," Britton, Jennings, and Gleeman said. "He’s made only one big league appearance since July 30, but he did pitch pretty well when active. In all, he made just nine starts in 2024, posting a 3.95 ERA...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...Britton's projection: one year, $12 million. Best fits: (Detroit Tigers), STL, (Washington Nationals)."

Scherzer didn't see much time last year due to injuries, but he had a 3.95 ERA in nine outings. He had a 3.77 ERA in 2023 and a 2.29 ERA in 2022. If St. Louis wants to add another veteran to the mix to help win games and mentor the young hurlers, Scherzer at a predicted $12 million price tag could work.

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