As the offseason rolls along swimmingly, the St. Louis Cardinals still have a few glaring holes heading into 2026. Big-name free agents are dropping into other teams’ laps like flies while the Redbirds have seemingly been left in the dust. Here are a couple of outside-the-box free agent options that could pan out for the Birds at Busch.
1. The Buy-Low Option: Dylan Moore (UTL)
With the Cardinals currently lacking any apparent right-handed threats in the lineup outside of emerging slugger Ivan Herrera, a supplemental piece like Dylan Moore could make a lot of sense. Moore, 33, is a former Gold Glove winner who finds success in the box against lefties. His positional versatility would be comforting considering the potential for Brendan Donovan to be shipped elsewhere. Moore could provide youngster Thomas Saggese with some internal competition heading into Spring Training, and his veteran presence would be a nice addition to an otherwise inexperienced clubhouse.
2. The Glorified Trade Chip: Marcell Ozuna (DH)
The original trade that brought the Redbirds’ old friend Marcell Ozuna into town has haunted Cardinals fans ever since. Consequently, the package St. Louis gave up has derailed the mindset of the Redbird faithful from how solid Ozuna really was while sporting the birds on the bat. In each of his two seasons in The Lou, he was an above-average bat and a powerful presence in the postseason. At this point in Ozuna’s career, he’s a full-time DH. St. Louis could add him to the mix, set and forget him at designated hitter, and if he puts up big numbers in the first half, flip the aging slugger for new blood at the trade deadline.
3. The Prove-It Deal: Framber Valdez (SP)
Framber Valdez isn’t a name that anyone would’ve thought St. Louis would come close to touching a year ago today. But every day the southpaw remains unsigned, a one-year deal becomes more of a reality. Valdez is navigating accusations of his clubhouse presence after an apparent attempt to purposely “cross-up” his catcher in 2025 — a major talking point that has reportedly caused the All-Star to create PowerPoint presentations to make it known that he’s a good teammate. Regardless of what Valdez is or isn’t as a person and a teammate, he can spin it. In 2025, Valdez had a 3.66 ERA in 192 innings. Two words: Quality. Volume. If St. Louis is presented with the opportunity to ink Valdez on a one-year prove-it deal, drama aside, the curveball sorcerer should be a Cardinal come 2026.
St. Louis is in a spot they’re unused to. With next season looking to be more of a building block than a goal, the Cardinals have the liberty to make decisions with their future in mind, rather than just the immediate moment. Moore provides stability, Ozuna brings promise, and Valdez is an ace-type arm the Cardinal faithful haven’t tasted since prime Adam Wainwright. If President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom wants to retain services from the shadows, the time is now. Let’s get creative!
