Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Texas Rangers fielder Leody Taveras (3) during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Polarizing Free Agent Option To Help Cardinals Rotation

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 7:00 PM ET

It would be somewhat surprising if the St. Louis Cardinals didn't add a veteran starting pitcher in some capacity this offseason.

The reason for this is that Miles Mikolas is heading to free agency and there's at least a chance that Sonny Gray is traded this offseason. Those were the Cardinals' two consistent veteran starters in 2025. Erick Fedde was in the rotation at the beginning of the season, but the Cardinals eventually moved on from him.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom recently talked about the offseason and how the team will at least be looking for pitching. One underrated option worth a look is two-time All-Star Patrick Corbin.

The Cardinals should consider Patrick Corbin

Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Bear with me here.

There was a time when Corbin was one of the worst starters in the National League. He led the league in losses in 2021, 2022, and 2023 and had a 5.71 ERA overall from 2021 through 2024. But, he left the Washington Nationals and joined a team that had more overall success in 2025 with the Texas Rangers and he took a step in the right direction as well.

Corbin had a 4.40 ERA in 31 total appearances, including 30 starts. He pitched 155 1/3 innings and had 131 strikeouts. It was his best overall season since 2019. For as bad as he was from 2021-2024, he was steady from 2012 through 2019 with a 3.80 ERA in 205 games to go along with two All-Star nods.

Corbin hasn't been an All-Star since 2018 and it would be surprising to see him get back to that level in 2026, but the way he pitched in 2025 makes him worth consideration to replace Mikolas. Mikolas is 37 years old and Corbin is 36 years old. He's younger, albeit not by much. Spotrac also is currently projecting his market value to be just over $5 million across one season. It would be very surprising to see the Cardinals shop in the high-end of free agency.

The 13-year MLB veteran is someone who will likely be cheap and could fill a need at the back of the rotation. He's a polarizing option, but one the Cardinals could afford.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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