The St. Louis Cardinals will be facing a lot of questions this offseason regardless of their direction, but one that may be more glaring than most is: “Who the heck is going to start games for the 2026 Cardinals?”

This is a question we likely won’t receive a clear-cut answer to until Spring Training, or even as camp breaks and the team heads north to St. Louis. As of this moment, the Cardinals currently have Sonny Gray, Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore, and Michael McGreevy penciled into the starting rotation, with Miles Mikolas potentially saying goodbye to the organization if he signs elsewhere this winter. Obviously, that four person group is underwhelming, even for a team who is going through a rebuild, but it goes further than that.

That list could easily be trimmed down to three names, as both Gray and the Cardinals expressed an interest in revisiting trade talks for the veteran number one starter. That brings the starting rotation to an even uglier trio of names, especially if Pallante fails to right the ship after an abysmal end to his 2025 season.

So, that leaves at least two spots up for grabs coming into spring. It is pretty well known now that the Cardinals intend to give Kyle Leahy a chance at grabbing one of those spots, but he was extremely effective as a reliever this year. Then there are the prospects at the upper level of the minors that the organization can promote to fill their innings needs. Those names would be former Minor League Pitcher of the Year Quinn Mathews, oft-injured Tink Hence, or Memphis Shuttle guys like Gordon Graceffo. Again, not a lot to be inspired about.

Who will pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026?

This is where the questions the Cardinals are facing have multiple solutions. For one, they could easily keep cycling through prospects as a fifth starter, or even attempt to do a six-man rotation with multiple of the aforementioned young arms. Option two would be to jump into the lower tiers of free agency and find guys who will sign for the major league minimum and just be happy to have a nice paycheck coming in regardless of their performance.

My choice, though, is to dive into the middle or higher tier, potentially pay a little more than you need to and convince some aging, effective veterans that St. Louis is the right place to begin the 2026 season. Two names that I am most intrigued by are still playing meaningful baseball, so their next contract is probably the furthest thing from their mind, but I would be aggressive in trying to convince Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber to take their talents back across the border and headline the Cardinals rotation to begin the year.

Notice, that is twice in the same paragraph that I mentioned them just beginning the year pitching at Busch Stadium. I am a realist and understand that the 2026 Cardinals are most likely not going to compete for a World Series title, or even a division title for that matter, but that does not mean they shouldn’t attempt to be competitive and take some calculated risks this offseason. Scherzer has already won two rings, three Cy Young awards, and is from Chesterfield, Missouri. Now 41-years-old, it is still wild to me that he has not yet pitched for his hometown Cardinals.

His past four seasons have been riddled with injuries here and there, but he has continued to be an effective pitcher when he is on the mound and still has his trademark fiery personality. This season, Scherzer collected $15.5 million, bringing his career earnings near the $350 million mark. Saying it without saying it (but here I am saying it), he doesn’t need to prioritize money in his next contract, but he is more than welcomed to do so.

The Cardinals had a half-hearted pursuit for Scherzer a handful of years ago, and even the veteran was open to coming home to St. Louis, but things didn’t work out. If the Blue Jays can hold off the Dodgers this year, it would be interesting to see what Scherzer would want in his next deal if he decides to keep playing. If there’s mutual interest, the Cardinals could sign him to a one-year deal, and if Scherzer desires to keep winning, there could be an unwritten agreement that the Cardinals would flip him to a contender at the deadline, depending on his health and performance. Even if he performs below his standards, his personality and name value could be enough to get a few more fans filing into Busch Stadium.

Shane Bieber, however, may end up being a tougher pill to swallow, both financially and in terms of the organization’s ability to convince him to some back to the Central division, this time on the NL side. This year, Bieber spent the first half of the year rehabbing from Tommy John and, surprising to me, was dealt to Toronto at the deadline while playing out the first year of his contract that includes a $16 million player option for 2026.

The belief is that Bieber will decline his player option after a healthy second half of this season, as well as a solid postseason run. The righty will be 31-years-old during the 2026 campaign and is a two-time All Star, Cy Young winner, Gold Glover, as well as two additional top-7 finishes in the Cy Young and a fourth place MVP finish.

By declining his option, that would signal that not only is Bieber looking for an increase in his $16 million salary, but also a lengthier contract than just a one-year deal. For someone like Bieber, I would love it if the Cardinals entertained a three-year contract. Year one of the deal would be his first full season back from his elbow surgery, so it would be possible they would need to keep him on an innings limit while he led the rotation. In 2027, it is anyone’s guess as to what is going to happen with the potential work stoppage, but, even if the season is shortened or canceled, Bieber will still be in his low 30s once play resumes.

Depending on how the Cardinals navigate their assets and free agent waters over the next year-plus, they could be looking at a return to being at least competitive in the division for Bieber’s final year of his deal. If not, then they give him the expiring veteran treatment and ship him off to a destination of his choosing.

Each of these names may be farfetched, especially as the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to spend less money, not more. However, they are in an awkward position as their offense looks pretty set for next season but the rotation is nowhere near that level. If the Cardinals want to find a way to get fans back in the ballpark while not tying their hands financially for the beginning of their rebuild, name value could play enough to get fans excited for at least a couple games per week.