Before the 2026 Major League Baseball season, the St. Louis Cardinals have been transparent about their willingness to recruit another right-handed hitter.
In an interview with Tom Ackerman on “Sports on a Sunday Morning” on KMOX Sports on Sunday, Chaim Bloom, president of baseball operations, stated as much.
Bloom responded, “Yeah we are,” when asked if he was seeking a righty bat. “I sound like a broken record here. We’re still not in line on that. I believe I mentioned this previously. We’ve tried a few guys, either through trades or free agency, but for a variety of reasons, it didn’t work out with some of them. We’re going to keep doing it. Nothing up our sleeve at the moment. As we continue to search for and enhance our roster, I anticipate that this is something that we will most likely actually bring to camp.”
The Cardinals are looking for one more bat
John Denton, a Cardinals insider, made an intriguing suggestion when appearing on “The Lou Sports Talk”: Nick Castellanos of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cardinals are obviously still searching.
“Within minutes of that call ending, I had someone text me a name that kind of opened my eyes,” Denton recalled. “Anyone who will accept a portion of Nick Castellanos’ contract will be eligible to receive him from the Phillies. For example, the Phillies would be in a complete meltdown if the Cardinals were to take half of his contract. He is driven to have a successful season since, you know, he will soon be a free agent. In a sense, he and Philly are at odds with each other. His right fielding skills are lacking. Listen, though, it’s likely that you won’t get Lars Nootbaar until May or June. Go grab Castellanos, perhaps.
“You get a veteran guy who can hit in the middle of the order. A guy who is motivated to have a good season. You can get him for half price. Maybe even three-fourths off. The Phillies are just looking for somebody to take him and take some of the money. Maybe you go get him and let him butcher left field the way he’s butchered right field in Philly for the last few years. But he does give you that legitimate bat that can hit in the middle of the order. So, when [Chaim Bloom] is talking about veteran, right-handed hitter. That was one of the first names that came to mind for me. Maybe they don’t want to take on that kind of money. Maybe it’s somebody on a lower level, but Castellanos would make a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.”
The Phillies have been actively attempting to move Castellanos, a two-time All-Star, throughout the winter. His $100 million, five-year contract is up in one season. According to Spotrac, his 2026 payroll breakdown is $20 million. He is a professional.At just 33 years old, he is a 272 hitter with 250 home runs. In 2025, he hit 17 home runs and drove in 72 RBIs while slashing.250/.294/.400. It would be a fantastic move for the Cardinals to fill the right-handed void in the lineup with a player like that on a discount. Castellanos is a 13-year veteran with a plenty of postseason experience. He is the kind of player who could return a significant amount of money around the trade deadline.
