The St. Louis Cardinals should have a little bit of extra hope after watching two small-market teams in the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays reach the World Series. These are two teams that have perfected what they are trying to do by drafting and developing their own talent rather than going out and making big splashes in free agency.
That doesn't mean they can't do a little bit of the work in free agency though. They have a lot of starting rotation depth at this point, but the addition of a veteran would make sense as they prepare for 2027. Here are three former Cardinals that could make sense as reunion candidates.
Dustin May
The Cardinals signed May to a one-year contract in the offseason and traded him to the Brewers at the deadline along with JoJo Romero. His numbers were better in St. Louis than they were in Milwaukee, and he ultimately finished the season 7-9 with a 4.70 ERA in 31 starts.
In all likelihood, his mutual option will not be picked up for 2027, so that leaves the Cardinals with a chance to bring him back. He was a solid leader for the young pitching staff, which could benefit from having him back in the fold next season.
Jack Flaherty
Jack Flaherty began his career with the Cardinals in 2017 and ultimately had one of the best runs for a starting pitcher in Cardinals history in the second half of the 2019 season. He won 11 games that year and helped guide St. Louis to the NLCS, even earning the win in the clinching game of the NLDS.
Injuries became a problem a few years down the line, but he is a free agent and is somebody that could be a bounce-back candidate. Pitching at Busch Stadium should give him a bit of an advantage as he tries to rebuild his value. He posted a 4.48 ERA with the Detroit Tigers, but still has great potential.
Steven Matz
Most of Matz's success in St. Louis came as a reliever, but he can still be used as a starter. In fact, the Cardinals traded him at the deadline in 2025 for Blaze Jordan, but on a one-year contract, he is another candidate to rebuild his value. He appeared in 36 games for the Rays this year, starting 11 of them.
As long as he can stay healthy, he is a solid candidate to fill a rotation spot for St. Louis and could also benefit from being back at a pitcher friendly ballpark.
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