Three MLB free agents who fill the Cardinals needs, and pocketbook, for 2025
One of the more difficult challenges ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason is marketing themselves as a potential free agent destination to players who are in search of their next opportunity.
While they certainly won’t be players at the top of the market, there remains a need to fill out the big league roster with quality players who can fill a niche while not straining the bounds of their self-imposed budgetary restrictions.
They would like to add good players to whom they won’t have to promise much playing time, and they would like to do so cheaply.
All things being equal, money can smooth over a lot of hesitation on the free market, and that is one way the Cardinals could come out ahead in player acquisition. What’s more likely, though, is that they seek out role players who could fill specific spots on a short term basis with an eye toward earning themselves a bigger contract next winter or even being an attractive addition for contenders at the trade deadline.
The three players named here are not an exhaustive list, and they are merely drawn from the pool as examples and educated guesses. That pool will grow in the coming days with Friday’s non-tender deadline, but for the time being, these are a few presumably low-cost options who can still help a team get through the season.
Garrett Hampson – previously with Kansas City
Hampson is a speedy utility player who played everywhere on the diamond for the Royals except for catcher in 2024. He recently turned 30 and made $2 million for Kansas City, and would be unlikely to make much more than that following a season in which he turned in a .576 OPS and no home runs in 231 plate appearances.
He still recorded a positive WAR, despite his anemic offense, thanks to his versatility in the field. Hampson committed only three errors last season, two of which were in the outfield. He tracks as a significantly positive defender at nearly every spot on the field. The presence of Bobby Witt, Jr. meant that the Royals had very little need for him at shortstop, but he was particularly strong in center.
Masyn Winn’s workload was a focus of the Cardinals in 2024, and despite breaking camp with and rostering Brandon Crawford for most of the season, Winn still started 143 games at short. That workload seemed to take its toll down the stretch, but the Cardinals don’t have an internal option behind him that they seem to trust even as a fill-in. Thomas Saggese started three games there following his debut, but it’s the weakest of his three infield spots.
Hampson’s best season in the big leagues was his 2023 campaign with the Miami Marlins, and he started 26 games at shortstop that season. That was also far and away his best offensive season in the big leagues; he posted a 95 OPS+ (representing a hitter five percent worse than league average) and hasn’t topped 70 in any other full season.
His hitting coach that year was Brant Brown, now in the same role with the Cardinals. Hitters often see the benefit in reconnecting with coaches with whom they previously have had success, and the Cardinals would greatly benefit from Hampson’s skill set.
Phil Maton – previously with the New York Mets
Maton was a target of the Cardinals last winter, and he ultimately agreed to a deal in free agency with the Tampa Bay Rays which saw him earn more than $6 million from the Rays and Mets in addition to a $250,000 buy out of a mutual option for 2025. The Cardinals will almost certainly not approach that price tag with a free agent reliever this winter, but if Maton’s number comes down after an uneven year (mediocre with Tampa, great with the Mets in the regular season, shaky in the postseason), the two sides could well re-engage.
Maton is also somewhat of a local, graduating from Glenwood High School in Chatham, IL. He’ll pitch next season at age 32, and for all of the unevenness in his results, continued to be a workhorse; he took the ball 71 times and covered 64 regular season innings for his teams last year.
Andrew Kittredge’s likely departure in free agency opens up an obvious spot in the bullpen. The Cardinals could well choose to throw bulk arms at that vacancy and give part-time pitchers a real shot; Chris Roycroft will receive some priority innings next season, Ryan Loutos remains on the 40-player roster, and Zack Thompson is out of minor league options. Should they opt for veteran depth, though, Maton is a player who they have previously vetted and who would certainly be desired at the deadline should the Cardinals fall out of the race.
Bryse Wilson – previously with Milwaukee
Wilson ended his season on the injured list after an oblique strain, and prior to that, struggled to a 4.04 ERA for the Brewers over 104 ⅔ innings. Wilson is a high-contact righty who does not strike out opponents at a high rate, which could make him a curious target. His experience as both a starter and reliever, though, could make him a valuable candidate as a swing man.
Having pitched for both the Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals have a great deal of exposure to and familiarity with Wilson. They have torched him pretty thoroughly in those outings (30 earned runs in 32 innings pitched), but perhaps they’ve seen something they can fix.
Much of Wilson’s appeal comes from his age. After being outrighted earlier this month by Milwaukee, he’s a free agent who hasn’t yet turned 27. Should the Cardinals see something in him they believe they can develop, he could make for an interesting player to be shaped by the rebooted player development apparatus. Wilson, though, is out of options, so signing him to a major league deal would necessitate carving out a roster spot in the big leagues.
That may be more likely based on geography. Wilson, a North Carolina native, has trained through Tread Athletics, where Thompson and Andre Pallante have also done offseason work, and where Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake (an alum of Appalachian State) has strong connections of his own.
