As the St. Louis Cardinals rebuild continues, one of the biggest questions is the pitching staff. After Opening Day starter Matthew Liberatore had a disappointing season, many asked what Oliver Marmol’s rotation would look like in 2027.
David Schoenfield of ESPN tabbed the Cardinals as a potential fit for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
The Detroit Tigers traded Skubal at the trade deadline this past summer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team no doubt interested in retaining the lefty. If Skubal were to walk, St. Louis, with their estimated payroll at $66 million by Cot’s Contracts, could offer a sizable contract.
Why Tarik Skubal Would Make Sense For St. Louis
Skubal and the Cardinals would be coming from two different points in their path to a championship if a deal was struck. Skubal was just in the National League Championship Series with the back-to-back champion Dodgers. St. Louis, on the other hand, missed the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, their longest stretch since the 1990s.
Here is where it makes sense. St. Louis has the payroll space and is in dire need of a frontline starter. Skubal wants to get paid, and St. Louis can make that happen. A move like this would vault their rotation into a different realm for 2027.
Much of St. Louis’ plan has been to draft, develop, and build within. At some point, they will have to go outside the organization to fill holes on their roster. A move now for a frontline free agent would not blow up the organization’s trajectory; in fact, it would likely help it along.
St. Louis is quietly building under Chaim Bloom. The jump in farm rankings should show that. A major splash for a role that is currently unclaimed could move the needle for the Cardinals.
St. Louis’ History With Big Money Free Agents
The Cardinals have not signed a free agent to a contract worth over $100 million since they re-signed Matt Holliday to a seven-year, $120 million contract in 2011.
Most of St. Louis’s big money contracts have been acquired via the trade. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are two in the recent era. To go along with that, the Cardinals are mighty good at extending pieces that they traded for, with Goldschmidt being one of them.
St. Louis traded for Scott Rolen and immediately signed him to an extension. The goal was always to get them to St. Louis before hitting free agency and keep them there.
Skubal would be different. Instead of a trade, the Cardinals would have to provide not only the best offer but the best pitch. It might seem like the history points to St. Louis not going after Skubal, but Bloom is in his second offseason leading the charge.
When Bloom took over the Cardinals, he was very clear about one thing. “We can’t take shortcuts and we won’t,” Bloom said in his introductory press conference last winter. But is signing a long-term free agent at this stage a shortcut or a part of the process?
Time will tell if St. Louis diverts from their history with free agency and gets aggressive for the biggest fish in the sea.
Cardinals Dubbed Potential Tarik Skubal Landing Spot