Andre Pallante won his arbitration case in February, earning a salary of $2.1 million for the 2025 season. However, with a significant drop in performance this season, the St. Louis Cardinals may be better served looking outside the organization for a comparable salary with better production.
Given the nature of the arbitration system, he is likely to get a salary bump despite his 5.34 ERA. If his salary were to get up to $3 million, what options are set to hit the open market that would be a better fit for the Cardinals' rotation at that price point?
Using Spotrac’s free agent market value projections, there are a handful of options that fit the budget that the Cardinals could spend on a potential replacement.
A pair of left-handers comes to mind around this price; one had a horrendous 2024 and missed the entire season with Tommy John Surgery: Jordan Montgomery.
The other is also a former Cardinal but has a mutual option with a division rival: Jose Quintana.
Both are valued around $3 million on Spotrac and would be veteran arms that could become assets at the trade deadline if the Cardinals' prospects are ready for the big leagues.
Montgomery had a fantastic 2023 in which he was traded from St. Louis to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. That off-season, though, he went unsigned as a Scott Boras client until deep into the spring. He went on to have an abysmal season in Arizona, ultimately losing his spot in the rotation before undergoing Tommy John surgery this spring.
Montgomery is technically a member of the Milwaukee Brewers after he was moved from Arizona at the deadline to offset salary in a trade, but he is not expected to pitch in 2025.
Though the Brewers might have first crack at him in free agency as a result of whatever relationship is currently being built, the Cardinals should find a way to check in.
On a short-term, low-priced contract, the Cardinals could bet on Montgomery’s bounce-back in a move that could benefit them if they were in contention and if they were to sell at the trade deadline once again.
If Quintana or the Brewers forgo his $15 million mutual option with Milwaukee this winter, it would allow the former Cardinal lefty to reach free agency. For the projected price, Quintana could represent improvement relative to what St. Louis has seen from Pallante this season.
The two lefties are likely looking to join a contender, and the division-rival Brewers cannot be counted out of either conversation. But with a keen eye on the market, the Cardinals could swoop in and make a play to add one of the two to their rotation, buying time until their crop of minor-league arms are major-league ready.