Heading into 2026, the St. Louis Cardinals should look to improve their rotation. Without many top options left on the market, Justin Verlander could make a lot of sense.
*Prediction*
This past year, the Cardinals’ starters really struggled in terms of their ERA. They finished with the 6th-worst rank in the MLB at 4.67.
Going beyond just ERA, they also had the second-worst ERA in terms of starting pitcher WAR. That mark was down at -6.2, which was only ahead of the Colorado Rockies.
Although the idea of adding Verlander isn’t super exciting due to his age, it would help the Cardinals get back on the right track in 2026.
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Why the St. Louis Cardinals Should Sign Justin Verlander
When you first think of possible landing spots for Verlander, St. Louis may not be the most obvious option. The reason for that is that this team is clearly in a rebuild.
As Will Leitch of MLB.com wrote a few days ago, “Cardinals fans certainly aren’t used to trading away players of Donovan’s caliber, not to mention Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado…There may be another smaller trade or two coming”
For that reason, you could argue that trading for Verlander is not a smart move. At 42 years old, Verlander isn’t going to be part of the team’s future.
However, due to the structure of the MLB lottery system, there aren’t many teams, if any, that try to tank. Despite the moves that St. Louis has made, they won 78 games this past year.
It’s not as if this is an awful roster. Anything can happen, and if Verlander gives the Cardinals a better chance to win in 2026, they should sign him.
On top of that, Verlander played well in 2025. If things aren’t going well for the Cardinals, they should be able to move him at the trade deadline in order to help their rebuild.
How Justin Verlander Fits in St. Louis
After losing Sonny Gray, the Cardinals could use a veteran replacement. Right now on Fangraphs, each of the Cardinals’ projected starters is under 29 years old.
Verlander would bring plenty of experience to the table, and in theory, he should be able to help mentor the younger pitchers as well.
Of the projected starters on Fangraphs, Andre Pallante would likely be the one who gets replaced for Verlander.
This past year, Pallante had -1.2 WAR, a 6-15 record, and 5.31 ERA. Not only that, but his Baseball Savant numbers were not great.
Pallante was in the 17th percentile for pitching run value, 11th for fastball run value, and 34th for breaking run value.
Justin Verlander Stats
After touching on some numbers from Pallante, here’s what Verlander did in 2025. With the San Francisco Giants, Verlander had 1.2 WAR and a 4.11 ERA despite having a 4-11 record.
On Baseball Savant, Verlander was in the 39th percentile for pitching run value, 30th for fastball run value, 44th for breaking run value, and 75th for offspeed run value.
With that being said, Justin Verlander has to want to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, which will likely just come down to money. If Verlander believes that the Cardinals can be competitive, and if not, he’s going to be traded to a contender, this option could make sense for both sides.
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