The St. Louis Cardinals need a veteran starter to put at the front of the rotation with Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante and a former rival would make a lot of sense.

Lefty Shota Imanaga spent the last three seasons as a member of the Chicago Cubs and was very solid. The lefty was an All-Star in 2024 as a rookie and has a 3.45 ERA so far in his career in 86 starts. Now, he's out there for the taking and The Athletic's Tim Britton projected that Imanaga will land a deal in the neighborhood of $34 million over two years.

If that becomes a reality, there's no reason for the Cardinals not to at least check in with the lefty and see if he would be interested in coming to town. Right now, the Cardinals' projected payroll is just over $83 million, good for 28th in the league. This number will certainly change after deals are handed out to arbitration-eligible players, but St. Louis is still near the bottom of the league in payroll and can afford to hand out a deal to a veteran hurler.

The Cardinals Should Sign Shota Imanaga

A two-year deal worth $34 million carries an annual average of $17 million. That would put Imanaga in the range of hurlers like Michael Wacha, Jameson Taillon and Mitch Keller. Arguably, that's perfectly fair. The Cardinals may not contend for a World Series title next year, but you also never know. Look at the Chicago White Sox, for example.

The White Sox stacked 100-plus-loss seasons left and right and then added a few pieces last winter and all of a sudden they were in the playoffs in 2026. The Cardinals don't need to go out and target Tarik Skubal, but after missing the playoffs in four straight seasons, they arguably do have to do something to reward the fanbase for sticking with them this long.

The Cardinals should give as much time as possible to the young guys and not block them. They showed in 2026 that the upside and potential are there for the organization. The future is bright. But there is room in the rotation and that shouldn't stop them from handing out a deal that wouldn't break the bank — like the projected Imanaga contract — and giving the staff a boost. If things don't work out and the Cardinals struggle in 2027, then you trade Imanaga for prospects.

At the end of the day, the Cardinals can afford a deal like this, at least on paper.