Cardinals could buy low on former Cy Young, boost rotation for 2025

While offense has been hard to come by for the St. Louis Cardinals, it is not the only reason they have sunk below the .500 mark. Their pitching has been equally underwhelming.

With Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn both set to likely enter free agency this offseason, St. Louis is going to have some holes to fill in their starting rotation. But they could potentially look into a former Cy Young for help.

"Walker Buehler finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2021 but underwent his second Tommy John surgery in 2022 and has not been able to return to form," Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote. "He posted a 5.84 ERA over eight starts this season before going on the IL and needs a strong close to the season to generate free-agent interest."

Buehler has since returned from the injured list and hasn't pitched well for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old right-hander is 1-4 in nine starts with a 6.02 ERA.

However, he could potentially be useful as a short-term solution for teams looking for starting pitching. Because St. Louis will need to fill two spots, he might make sense.

Though he has struggled over the past few seasons and isn't what he used to be, he does have a strong track record that precedes him. He has pitched well in the postseason for the Dodgers too.

An addition such as this wouldn't break the bank for St. Louis and would leave plenty of financial flexibility to pursue another free agent starter such as Shane Bieber or former Cardinal Michael Wacha.

St. Louis could potentially even give Buehler a one-year deal with an option for 2026 to see if he can rebuild his value and return to form.

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