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The Major League Baseball offseason is a period of optimism and speculation, with teams looking to improve for the coming year. Only three clubs—the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Guardians—remain in the 2026 playoffs, while the St. Louis Cardinals are among those already planning for 2027. Despite missing the postseason, the Cardinals' season was far from a failure: the team got extended looks at its young core, saw prospects like Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, and Quinn Mathews reach the majors, and strengthened the farm system by trading away veterans. St. Louis won 77 games, just one fewer than in 2025 when the roster was filled with veterans.
To continue their upward trajectory, the Cardinals need to add a veteran starting pitcher, bolster the bullpen, and possibly upgrade at third base. But not every speculative move makes sense. For instance, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller suggested Reid Detmers as a trade candidate for St. Louis. While Detmers, a six-year veteran, fits the profile of a seasoned starter and is coming off a career-best 3.36 ERA in 32 starts, the cost to acquire him would likely be too steep for where the Cardinals are in their rebuild.
The farm system is currently loaded, but that doesn't mean the Cardinals should flip multiple elite prospects for a pitcher with question marks. In 2025, Detmers didn't make a single start, instead making 61 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels. Was his 2026 performance a sign of things to come, or a fluke? In 2024, he posted a 6.70 ERA in 17 starts and was worth -1.1 WAR. The price tag for Detmers will be high, but he is not a sure thing.
Key Analysis
The Cardinals are not one or two pieces away from contention, and they are not yet in a position to unload the farm system on a gamble. Just a few years ago, St. Louis depleted its farm system, which contributed to the club's struggles over the past three seasons. It would be a dangerous mistake to repeat that now, especially when adding Detmers to the rotation wouldn't make the Cardinals a World Series contender.