The St. Louis Cardinals in 2025 are a team that's winning despite the front office trying to sell the few star players they have on the roster. Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado both attempted to be traded in the offseason, while Ryan Helsley has been in trade rumors for years now.
For the Cardinals, star power has been an issue in recent years. But, while they've had this issue, the front office is planning to get rid of their few stars. However, that isn't stopping Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants from predicting the Cardinals to go after a star player.
With a solid, but aging rotation, Gauvain predicts that the Cardinals will go after Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in free agency. It'd cost a fortune to acquire someone of his caliber, but for the Cardinals, a team in desperate need of superstar talent, Skubal would be worth it.
"Left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is a free agent after the 2026 season." Gauvain wrote. "Would the DeWitt family and Chaim Bloom be comfortable shelling out $400 million to Skubal over eight or ten years? Probably not, but that's the type of money the organization will have to pay to get a true ace in the rotation."
The money that the Cardinals' ownership would have to spend to acquire Skubal in free agency is astounding. While the player is great, and the addition would be a huge one for the team, St. Louis wouldn't have much room to spend elsewhere.
Fortunately, the Cardinals have a lot of interesting, young players on reasonable contracts that they can utilize. Also, if the Cardinals do go after and land Skubal, they could justify shipping off some of their other veterans, like Arenado and Gray, to acquire prospects to cut costs and prepare for a future with Skubal's contract on the books.
A deal likely north of $400 million awaits Skubal in free agency, and his recent comments point towards him seeing his worth after the 2026 season. While the addition of Skubal is alluring, the Tigers will likely do everything they can to keep him from leaving.
Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and his joining the Cardinals would be a monumental addition for the team. There might be no better pitcher to acquire, other than Paul Skenes, if the Cardinals are going star-hunting.
It's an unrealistic scenario, but one worth considering, as the Cardinals are a young team looking to add high-end talent. Star power is an issue for the Cardinals, but they could flip things around completely if they landed Skubal in St. Louis, no matter how much it costs in free agency.