The St. Louis Cardinals will soon get to work on their offseason as they enter year two of their rebuild. Free agency begins soon, and players will be able to sign with other teams as early as Tuesday. For now though, teams can still re-sign their own free agents.
The Cardinals declined Ryne Stanek's team option for 2027, so they will have to look for other bullpen arms to bolster the relief corps. They also could use a starting pitcher, and there is a decent supply of arms within their price range available. But having depth at the minor league level is important as well, and according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have bolstered their depth by re-signing left-hander Josh Fleming.
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"(The Cardinals) have resigned Webster University alum Josh Fleming to a minor-league deal. The lefty will provide depth for the rotation," Goold posted on X. "Fleming, 30, from Bridgeton, appeared with Toronto in the majors last season and made six starts for Class AAA Memphis after signing with (the Cardinals)."
St. Louis Cardinals Bring Back Josh Fleming
Fleming made just one appearance with the Toronto Blue Jays
before they cut him loose and the Cardinals took a chance on him. He allowed four runs over three innings in that game and posted a 12.00 ERA.
The 30-year-old left-hander made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays
in 2020, three years after he had been selected in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. Current Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom was in charge of the Rays at that time.
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Fleming was with the Rays until joining the Pittsburgh Pirates
in 2024. He did not pitch in 2025.
This isn't an earth-shaking move by any means. It's simply a move that allows the Cardinals to strengthen their starting pitching depth. They already have a lot of in-house options in place, but having Fleming in the system gives them an extra arm in case somebody goes down with an injury.
Other depth options include Richard Fitts and Cooper Hjerpe, and with Hunter Dobbins out for most of 2027, bringing back Fleming helps keep the team's rotation depth fresh for the time being.
The Cardinals' depth was finally tested a little when Dobbins and Andre Pallante went on the injured list in August, so it's going to be important to have options available in case something were to go wrong.
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What's Next for St. Louis Cardinals?
With Fleming signed, the Cardinals will likely now turn their focus to upgrading the big-league roster. The rotation does need a more established starter, so going into free agency makes sense. Former Cardinal Dustin May
is available after declining his mutual option with the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers
.
Another option is former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber
, who is looking to rebuild his value after several injury-plagued seasons. There will be a little time to make some moves before the lockout begins, but the Cardinals do need more pitching on their roster, so it will be interesting to see what comes next.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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