Cardinals Should Explore Reunion With Starting Pitcher Coming Off Strong Season.
The St. Louis Cardinals top priority this offseason has been to retool the rotation and they’ve done a decent job at doing that so far.
Reeling in American League Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray, right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson, and former Cardinals hurler Lance Lynn has replenished the missing holes in the Cardinals’ rotation.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated that St. Louis is content with the rotation after the latest signings and will direct their attention to bolstering the bullpen — while still keeping an open mind to other possibilities.
With that said, one scenario that could improve the Cardinals’ chances of having a winning season in 2024 would be to sign former St. Louis pitcher Michael Wacha to a short-term contract.
Wacha has gone 25-6 with a 3.27 ERA (127 ERA+), 228-to-74 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and 1.14 WHIP in 261 1/3 innings across 47 starts over the last two seasons between his time playing for the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres.
The 32-year-old free agent is on an upward slope in his career and would be a perfect addition to the Cardinals’ rotation.
The right-handed pitcher is a middle-of-the-market starting pitcher and would probably match up with Gibson and Lynn’s salary costs in terms of average annual value.
With Gray’s back-loaded contract, the Cardinals only owe him $10 million this season. They should capitalize by investing that extra payroll room on another starting pitcher — like signing Wacha to a short-term deal.