The St. Louis Cardinals have wasted little time getting their offseason underway.
Although St. Louis ultimately missed the postseason in 2026, the club’s season produced enough encouraging moments to give the organization a foundation to build upon. The Cardinals finished eight games below .500, leaving plenty of areas that need attention as the front office prepares for the 2027 campaign.
Their first notable offseason move has now arrived on the pitching side.
The Cardinals announced Monday that they claimed right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton off waivers from the Washington Nationals. The move represents a relatively low-cost opportunity for St. Louis to bring a once highly regarded pitching prospect into the organization and see whether he can rediscover the form that once made him one of baseball’s more interesting young arms.
Hampton is only 25 years old and has yet to appear in a Major League game. His professional career, however, has been significantly affected by injuries, including Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the entire 2025 minor league season.
That lengthy absence makes his current situation difficult to evaluate purely through his recent statistics.
Cardinals Add Another Pitching Project
Hampton’s 2026 season was his first opportunity to return to competitive baseball after surgery. He spent the year working his way through the Yankees’ minor league system, appearing at three different levels.
The right-hander logged 55 innings between Single-A Tampa, High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. His numbers were far from impressive, as he finished the campaign with an 8.18 ERA over 17 appearances.
He also recorded 56 strikeouts while issuing 34 walks.
Those figures clearly show that Hampton still has considerable work to do. His command was inconsistent, and his overall results did not resemble those of a pitcher ready to immediately step into a Major League rotation.
At the same time, the Cardinals are not acquiring him because of what he accomplished statistically in 2026 alone.
The organization is betting, at least in part, on the talent that made Hampton highly regarded before injuries interrupted his development.
A Formerly Highly Rated Prospect
There was a time when Hampton was viewed as one of the better pitching prospects in professional baseball.
MLB.com ranked him No. 92 among its top 100 prospects in 2024, illustrating how highly his talent was regarded before his injury setbacks changed the trajectory of his career.
That previous reputation is one reason the Cardinals’ decision makes sense as a developmental gamble.
Hampton has not yet accumulated a large professional workload. In fact, because of injuries, he has surpassed 100 innings in a professional season only once.
That lack of consistent innings makes it difficult to determine exactly what his long-term ceiling could be.
For St. Louis, however, there is an opportunity to find out.
The Cardinals can bring Hampton into camp, monitor his health and development, and determine whether he can become a useful pitching option without having to immediately place significant expectations on him.
Why the Move Makes Sense for St. Louis
The Cardinals need to continue looking for ways to strengthen their pitching depth.
Claiming a pitcher off waivers is one of the less expensive ways to add potential talent to an organization. Rather than committing substantial money or prospects to a player, St. Louis has acquired Hampton and can give him an opportunity to compete for a role during spring training.
That makes the move particularly intriguing.
If Hampton struggles during spring training, the Cardinals have not made a major investment in him. But if their coaches can help him regain some of the form that previously made him a top-100 prospect, the organization could potentially have a valuable pitching option on its hands.
The biggest question is whether Hampton can stay healthy and rebuild his command.
His 2026 statistics demonstrate that he was not yet back to his previous level. However, his season also represented a comeback from major elbow surgery. A pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery often needs time to regain consistency, stamina and command.
The Cardinals will therefore have an opportunity to evaluate Hampton throughout the offseason and into spring training rather than expecting immediate results.
Hampton’s Yankees Chapter Comes to an End
Hampton’s arrival in St. Louis follows a difficult conclusion to his time with New York.
Earlier in September, the Yankees designated him for assignment as they made room on their 40-man roster for the return of Aaron Judge.
Once Hampton became available, the Nationals claimed him off waivers. His stay in Washington did not last long, however, and the Cardinals subsequently claimed him from the Nationals.
The series of roster moves has now brought Hampton to St. Louis, where he will attempt to restart his career.
For Hampton, joining a new organization could provide an important opportunity.
Instead of being viewed solely through the lens of his recent struggles, he can enter the Cardinals’ system with a chance to establish himself again. The organization can evaluate him independently and potentially create a development plan designed around his current abilities and physical condition.
A Long Road Back
Hampton’s professional journey has been anything but straightforward.
Injuries have prevented him from building the kind of consistent workload that many young pitchers need during the early stages of their careers. Missing the entire 2025 minor league season was particularly significant because it removed an entire year of development from his progression.
His return in 2026 was therefore an important first step, even though the results were disappointing.
The 55 innings he threw gave him an opportunity to get back on the mound and begin rebuilding his career. The strikeout total also indicates that he still possesses the ability to miss bats.
The 34 walks, however, highlight one of the areas that will likely require the most attention.
If the Cardinals can help him improve his control while continuing to build his workload, Hampton could become an interesting depth option.
What Comes Next?
The next major checkpoint will be spring training.
St. Louis can use the coming months to determine where Hampton fits within its pitching plans. He could compete for a minor league rotation spot, work his way toward Triple-A or potentially earn consideration for a Major League opportunity if his development progresses quickly.
There is no guarantee that will happen.
His recent 8.18 ERA shows that he still has significant obstacles to overcome. His injury history also means the Cardinals will need to be cautious with his workload.
Nevertheless, his age and previous prospect status give the organization reason to see what he can become.
At 25, Hampton is still young enough to potentially revive his career. More importantly, St. Louis did not need to surrender a significant trade package to acquire him.
Another Piece of the Cardinals’ Offseason Puzzle
The Cardinals’ offseason is likely to involve more than one roster move.
After finishing below .500 and missing the playoffs, St. Louis has several areas to address. Pitching depth will naturally be part of that discussion, and Hampton’s addition gives the organization another arm to evaluate.
The move should not be viewed as a guarantee that Hampton will become a major part of the Cardinals’ pitching staff. Instead, it is an opportunity for both sides.
St. Louis gets a chance to work with a former top prospect who still has time to recover his trajectory.
Hampton gets a fresh organization and another opportunity to demonstrate that his career is not defined by his injury setbacks or his difficult 2026 statistics.
For the Cardinals, that is precisely what makes the waiver claim interesting.
There is little immediate pressure on Hampton, but there is potentially meaningful upside if he can regain his health, sharpen his command and rediscover the pitching ability that once placed him among baseball’s top prospects.
As the Cardinals begin preparing for the 2027 season, Hampton will be one of the names worth watching during spring training. His path back to the majors remains uncertain, but St. Louis has given him another opportunity to pursue it.
For an organization looking to improve after missing the postseason, taking a chance on a young pitcher with previous prospect pedigree is a straightforward way to add another potential option without making a major commitment.
Now, the next chapter of Chase Hampton’s career will unfold in St. Louis.
