A Max Scherzer Trade to the Cardinals Sounds Wild — Until You See Why It Actually Makes Perfect Sense.NL
The idea that the St. Louis Cardinals might be interested in signing a once-prolific free agent like Max Scherzer during a period of rebuild might seem insane, but I can at least make an argument that there could be some wisdom to a move like this.
We know that Max Scherzer plans to pitch again in 2026 based on a recent report by MLB Trade Rumors. That was based on an update by Jesse Rogers on X right after the World Series ended.
Before I try to make my point about why I’d love to see this, I’ll play the devil’s advocate and state some obvious problems. St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has said that he’s looking for young, controllable pitching. At this stage of his career, Max Scherzer is neither of these. There’s also the issue of Max likely looking to be a part of a team that is focused on winning now. Frankly, that’s probably the biggest hurdle as the Cardinals have openly said that contending in 2026 will not be a priority over building a perennial contender.
Now, let me make my case about why I think Max Scherzer finally becoming a St. Louis Cardinal isn’t as crazy as it sounds. We know that his last contract with the Toronto Blue Jays was $15.5 million dollars last season. I think that Max would be expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 to $15 million for 2026. Let’s say for the sake of argument that Max Scherzer is willing to consider the St. Louis Cardinals over a win now team. We all know that he’s a Mizzou graduate. Would St. Louis to him be the perfect final chapter for his career as sort of a homecoming? I think he would be a great mentor for the young St. Louis Cardinals staff. I’m not even concerned how many wins he would bring to the table. Max Scherzer in a St. Louis Cardinals jersey would likely help inspire a few fans to return to the stands, but its his leadership and mentoring I’d be most interested in.
Do I expect to see this daydream happen? Nope. I cannot imagine Max Scherzer not wanting a shot at one more World Series. That’s a shame as I’ve hoped for years there might be a way to convince one of the ultimate Mizzou grads to come home.
