The St. Louis Cardinals should be in the market for a veteran starting pitcher this winter and there's a hurler out there with a connection to Chaim Bloom who should be a top choice for the organization in free agency.

That is Nick Pivetta, most recently of the San Diego Padres. Bloom's connection to Pivetta wasn't in San Diego, though. The two were together with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox acquired Pivetta from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020. At the time, Bloom was the chief baseball officer for Boston. The 2020 campaign was actually his first season overseeing the organization. He was hired by Boston after the 2019 season when the Red Sox moved on from Dave Dombrowski.

In Boston, Pivetta was solid. He flashed elite stuff, but wasn't able to fully put it together. He left the organization ahead of the 2025 season and broke out as a member of the Padres. In 2025, Pivetta logged a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts across 181 2/3 innings of work. That's why the Cardinals should be all over him. He has the upside to be a front-of-the-rotation arm if he can stay healthy.

St. Louis Should Target Nick Pivetta

In 2026, he did not. He only made eight starts and had a 2.86 ERA in 34 2/3 innings pitched. On the bright side, he was healthy at the end of the season. But the Padres declined his option and sent him to free agency. Pivetta is now 33 years old and likely will have to settle for a short-term pillow contract after his injury-filled 2026 season. The Cardinals should oblige.

Targeting Pivetta would be the same concept as targeting Dustin May last offseason, although Pivetta has more upside. His 2025 season was elite and he was very good in 2026 when he was on the mound. The Cardinals have shown that they know what they're doing when it comes to keeping pitchers healthy. Pivetta has a connection to Bloom and likely wouldn't break the bank. If the Cardinals could sign him and get him back to the 2025 version of himself, they'd have a No. 1 hurler, at least in the short term. If the Cardinals were out of the playoff race by the summer, a healthy Pivetta would bring back even more than May did.

Pivetta is a bit outside-the-box because he may cost more than someone like May or Shane Bieber, but St. Louis should be all over him.