3 looming World Series champions the Cardinals should sign this winter and why

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a very tough spot as a franchise. They have just enough veteran talent that they continue to believe they can be contenders, but they don't have enough talent to actually contend when the season is on the line. They have enough young talent that they think should be successful in the major leagues, but it's taking these top prospects longer than expected to develop.

The Cardinals have two options. They can either enter a rebuild and gut the roster or they can continue to try to contend. The front office hasn't made any moves to indicate which direction they're heading in, but all signs point to a rebuild.

Still, there's a chance they try to contend. It would be John Mozeliak's last effort as the President of Baseball Operations to send the Cardinals to the postseason. Today, we'll look at three potential World Series champions that the Cardinals could sign if they opt to try to contend in 2024.

To preface, these signings wouldn't make a ton of sense if they opt to rebuild aggressively. This is only in the case that St. Louis attempts to contend again next season.

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3 looming World Series champions the Cardinals should sign in free agency and why

3. 1B Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees

Okay, this one is a bit out of left field, I'll admit it. But I like the fit a lot. Anthony Rizzo is set to receive a hefty sum of cash if the New York Yankees opt into his club option for 2025. But after playing injured all year, the Yankees will likely opt out of paying him that much money, allowing him to hit the unrestricted free agent market. When he gets there, Rizzo will be free to sign with any team he would like.

The Cardinals are likely to let their veteran first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, walk away in free agency. This leaves a massive hole for the Cardinals to fill at first base. Players like Pete Alonso and Christian Walker will be way too expensive for St. Louis to bring in, so they could opt to acquire a cheaper veteran like Rizzo.

Rizzo hasn't been the same recently, but he's also battled injuries pretty consistently over the last two seasons. If he can get and stay healthy, he has the potential to return to an .800+ OPS guy. Rizzo is a veteran presence that could translate back to the caliber of player that he was a few seasons ago if he finds his stride again. If the Cardinals can bring him in for cheap, I like the fit.

2. RHP Clay Holmes, New York Yankees

Building a competivie team means building a dominant bullpen. Having a bad bullpen almost elimiates your chance of being World Series champions. Having a dominant bullpen helps boost the World Series odds tremendously. The Cleveland Guardians build their entire pitching staff around how dominant their bullpen was in 2024, successfully shortening games down to seven or eight innings for most of the regular season. This happens by having multiple dominant relievers.

St. Louis already has their dominant closer in Ryan Helsley. Helsley will handle all the closer responsibilities for the foreseeable future. But if the Cardinals looked to add an elite eighth inning guy like Clay Holmes from the Yankees, they would be that much better.

Holmes was dominant for the first half of 2024, earning a berth to the MLB All-Star Game. But he collapsed under the pressure in the second half, losing his job as the closer and being demoted down the ladder a bit. He was heavily criticized by the media and fans in the Bronx, so it isn't out of the realm of possibilities that he's not interested in returning to the Bronx.

Adding him as the setup man in St. Louis would be huge for shortening games on the back end.

1. RHP Jack Flaherty, Los Angeles Dodgers

When looking at the free agent pool for this offseason, there's one name that sticks out the most to St. Louis Cardinals fans: Jack Flaherty of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Flaherty began the year with the Detroit Tigers before being dealt to the Dodgers in a deadline buzzer beater deal. He was tremendous for both organizations, but his time with the Dodgers saw him taking over as the ace of the staff. Now, heading into the World Series, Flaherty is tasked with going toe to toe with the Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole.

Bringing Flaherty back to St. Louis would effectively give them the ace that they need to compete with the best teams in the league. He's proved over the last year that he's an ace in the league.

But, the issue here is that Flaherty's departure from St. Louis wasn't the cleanest. Cardinals fans have been pretty rough on him over the last few seasons, so I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to come back to St. Louis. But, it is the team that drafted him. It is the organization that raised him, so St. Louis likely holds a special place in his heart.

If the Cardinals are looking to contend, Flaherty is the guy they need to be going after.