The St. Louis Cardinals have a need for pitching this offseason, but the moves they make must still be appropriate for their rebuild, which means nothing crazy is going to happen. But Chaim Bloom can still be active before the lockout starts.

The starting rotation held up its end of the bargain for most of the season, even without Sonny Gray, but adding a high-upside starter, similar to what they did with Dustin May last offseason could be a good approach. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an idea for who that might be.

"Right-hander Casey Mize is arguably the next best short-term upside play," Goold wrote.

"Shane Bieber and two pitchers with past Cardinals ties, Jack Flaherty and Zac Gallen, are other starters looking for rebound opportunities."

Casey Mize's fit with St. Louis

Mize might be the most similar to May this offseason. He was the first pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers, though he hasn't quite lived up to that reputation. He missed all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery.

Before being traded to the San Diego Padres, Mize was 4-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts with the Tigers. The 29-year-old struggled in San Diego, but in a pitcher friendly environment such as Busch Stadium, Mize could potentially thrive, especially if the Cardinals like his upside and believe he can show more of that in 2027. It likely won't take more than a one-year deal to land him, and it shouldn't force St. Louis to break the bank.

Perhaps a similar deal to what May got could happen. The Cardinals know they need a veteran, but Mize is also young enough to fit right in with the young starting rotation they have and could then be shipped out at the trade deadline if he pitches well enough, which could land St. Louis some prospects in exchange.

They are fortunate to have a lot of pitching depth in their mix, but a more established arm would make sense, and Mize is somebody that still has plenty of upside and could easily be a solid fit for St. Louis.

The Cardinals aren't ready yet to be a contending team, as that will likely take a few years, but doing what they did with May is a good strategy for now as they look towards the future and what they hope to build.