ORLANDO — The numbness in Richard Fitts’ right arm was so debilitating for about a two-week stretch this past August that he once smacked himself in his face with a toothbrush while trying to stay on top of his dental care, and later an athletic trainer pinched the tingling appendage so vigorously that blood nearly surfaced.
Not only was Fitts terrified he might never pitch again in the big leagues, but he also worried he might never regain full usage of an arm injured during a four-inning, six-strikeout performance against the Orioles on Aug. 25.
“I was very rattled, but luckily I had the Red Sox trainers helping me and talking through a lot of different things with my arm,” said Fitts, now a member of the Cardinals after being traded by Boston in a deal that centered around Sonny Gray. “It was crazy to go through all of that, and it was rattling to not know when I was going to get feeling back in my arm again.
“But, after a few doctor visits, we eventually realized this wasn’t going to be a super serious thing.”
When MLB convenes this week for the Winter Meetings in Orlando, the Cardinals could come away from baseball’s annual summit with more promising young pitchers by virtue of them trading away some of their established stars. But it’s likely none of the incoming players will have endured the kind of medical scare that Fitts, 25, had to endure at the end of his second MLB season with the Red Sox. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound native of Alabama is fully healthy and throwing again and hopes to earn a spot in the Cardinals’ starting staff in 2026.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to grow into this rotation and fight for a spot immediately,” said Fitts, who is 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) in parts of two MLB seasons. “When I talked to [president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom] it was about wanting success for many years, and I want to be a part of that. It was awesome to hear where [the Cardinals] are at — this isn’t the start of any kind of rebuild or anything; it was, ‘we feel we’re close to being ready to complete and we want you to be a part of that.’”
Through the decades, legendary names in the rich history of the Cardinals have been at the crux of significant Winter Meetings transactions, including National Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith, Ted Simmons, Bruce Sutter and Whitey Herzog; club Hall of Famers Chris Carpenter, Jason Isringhausen, Edgar Renteria and Walt Jocketty and legends Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Darrell Porter.
The Cards could again be at the center of several significant Winter Meetings moves, albeit in a dramatically different way. When Bloom dealt Gray for promising prospect Brandon Clarke and Fitts, it signaled that the Cards are likely looking to 2027 and beyond as their time to compete. Accordingly, the Cards could look to deal mainstays Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and JoJo Romero for promising prospects.
“Sometimes the long term might conflict with the short term … and when those things run in opposite directions, we’re going to choose the long term because that’s where this organization needs to be,” Bloom said. “We’re trying to get back to a certain place and stay there. History has shown the way the Cardinals have always done that is with their young, talented core.”
Fitts, a sixth-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2021 who was traded to the rival Red Sox in 2023, is affixed as part of that core. He didn’t make his MLB debut until 2024 when he was brilliant over four starts (1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 innings). His 2025 season didn’t go as well, and it ended with the nerve damage in his right arm — an injury officially called neuritis.
His once numb right arm now healthy, Fitts wants to be a key piece of the Cards’ revival.
“I went from a team where I was one of the youngest guys to one where I fit age-wise,” said Fitts, who played summer ball in the past with catcher Jimmy Crooks and reliever Matt Svanson. “When I talk to everybody, it’s clear we’re moving in the right direction. They want to be successful for a long time, and I want to be part of that.”
