The St. Louis Cardinals are already beefing up their supply of young pitching. Today, they traded with the Boston Red Sox to acquire young left-hander Eduardo Rivera. They re-signed Josh Fleming to a minor league contract on Monday.
So far, the Cardinals have gotten off to a good start this winter, and it would seem that more pitching is at the top of their shopping list as they try to improve for 2027. However, Jim Bowden of The Athletic spoke to all 30 teams’ front offices to get a sense of what their offseason priorities are, and while pitching is indeed at the top of the list for the Cardinals, there is something else that Chaim Bloom might be looking into.
“The Cardinals are going to continue to build their team through amateur scouting and player development for the long haul, but at the same time they are going to try to find upgrades for the bullpen and would really like to bring in a solid starting pitcher who could help lead the staff,” Bowden reported.
“They’re also interested in a left-handed-hitting left side of the infield role player to better balance the right-handed-hitting Masyn Winn, Thomas Saggese, Blaze Jordan and José Fermin.”
St. Louis Cardinals Looking for Left-Handed Bat as Offseason Begins
The best left-handed bat available in free agency that can play on the left side of the infield is three-time batting champion Luis Arraez. As far as role players go, there aren’t many options, so it might be hard to make this potential move.
They have Nolan Gorman already, so if they want a left-handed hitting infielder, they could simply give him one more chance to prove himself and have him fill that role. But there just aren’t very many options available in free agency, so the Cardinals would be better served sticking with what they have.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported recently that the Cardinals are open to adding a short-term solution at third base while they wait for some of their prospects to break into the big leagues, but if they’re going to do that, it would be better for them to add an everyday player. That’s where somebody like Arraez could come into play if they want a left-handed hitter.
There was also some speculation about Alec Bohm potentially being a fit. But they already have plenty of left-handed bats, so adding another one isn’t going to help them out much.
St. Louis Cardinals Have Clear Need This Offseason
Instead of looking for a left-handed hitting role player, the Cardinals should focus more on what they really need, which is more pitching. They could use a veteran starter and some bullpen arms. They have solid infield options already, and though they are right-handed bats, what they do have is better than what is currently out on the market.
So, it simply would not make sense for St. Louis to go after anything but more pitching this offseason unless there are good options available.
Insider Shares Cardinals Offseason Wish List, Including More Pitching