The St. Louis Cardinals had a lot of successes for a losing season in 2026. Despite going 77-85, the team showed a lot of promise early on and gave fans reason to have hope for the future. One area that they could look to improve is their pitching staff.
The bullpen was their weak point this season, but a little extra starting pitching depth wouldn’t hurt either. That will likely come via free agency. However, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed one trade that he believes every team should make this offseason, and for the Cardinals, it was a potential trade for Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.
“Putting the cart before the horse here, but if the Cardinals manage to add a legitimate ace this winter, they’re going to be the team that everyone falls in love with as the pick to go from sub-.500 in 2026 to a possible first-round bye in 2027,” Miller wrote. “Upgrading the third base situation is presumably also on their to-do list, but adding an Opening Day starter would be huge. And they’ve restocked their farm system to such a degree over the past two years that they surely have the prospects necessary to make it happen.”
St. Louis Cardinals Urged to Trade for Reid Detmers
Detmers went 7-8 in 32 starts with a 3.36 ERA with the Angels. He also struck out 211 batters over 185 innings and posted a 4.2 WAR. On the surface, it may seem like a good idea for the Cardinals to make this potential trade. But you have to look closer.
Not until this year was Detmers the type of ace pitcher teams would want in trades. His numbers are certainly impressive, and yes, the Cardinals do have a very strong farm system. But now isn’t the time for them to sell the farm and jump the gun on the rebuild.
Chaim Bloom has been very clear that this is going to be a multi-year project, and that likely means that the 2027 season will not be one in which they’ll make these kinds of trades at the deadline or in the offseason.
The farm system is now among the best in baseball, but subtracting from it right now just isn’t the best plan, and the Cardinals are wise to understand that their rebuild is going to take a little while. The plan right now should be continuing to bolster the farm system and setting themselves up for the future.
How Can St. Louis Cardinals Find an Ace?
By no means is Detmers an ace, but if the Cardinals want to find one, the best course of action right now is to try and develop their own. They have a lot of pitching depth in their system. Liam Doyle was drafted last year and is quickly rising through the farm system. They also have Jurrangelo Cijintje at Triple-A Memphis, and Tanner Franklin is taking steps forward.
If the Cardinals are going to add pitching from outside the organization, they’ll likely have to go for middle-of-the-rotation arms in free agency that won’t cost them too much. A reunion with Dustin May certainly could work.
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