Currently boasting a staff of Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, Steven Matz and Dakota Hudson, the Cardinals were not predicted to be heavily involved in the free-agent starting pitcher market this offseason.
Nevertheless, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is aware that, “a year from now, we know we’re going to need starting pitching,” per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Mozeliak added that the team has recognized that it will have to replace or re-sign four starters after the 2023 season.
Wainwright, who re-signed with St. Louis on a one-year, $17.5M deal with incentives, has already stated that the 2023 season will be his last. Additionally, Mikolas, Flaherty and Montgomery will all be free agents at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Matz and Hudson are the only starters with a contract for the 2024 season, with Matz signed through the 2025 season and Hudson a free agent after 2024. Goold reports that the Cardinals “plan to explore contract extensions with at least two of the starters who are unsigned beyond 2023,” with Mikolas being the most likely candidate.
The Cardinals are currently projected to enter the 2023 season with a payroll of $171.9M, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. However, after the season, they are forecasted by Roster Resource to have only $94M in commitments — giving them ample room to add to their team. Despite this financial freedom, Mozeliak notes that the Cardinals “have some young starters coming,” perhaps signaling a desire to avoid free-agent starters in order to fit within the team’s budget.
Lefty Matthew Liberatore (the Cardinals’ No.4 Prospect) struggled in his major league debut during the 2022 season, pitching to a 5.97 ERA in 34 2/3 innings with a 17.4 K% and 11.2 BB%. He didn’t fare much better in his second season at Triple-A Memphis, pitching to a 5.17 ERA in 115 innings with a 23.5 K% and 8.3 BB%. Nevertheless, Liberatore is only 23 years old and still has plenty of time to settle in at the major league level.
Additionally, Gordon Graceffo (Cardinals’ No.3 Prospect), Tink Hence (No.6) and Michael McGreevy (No.9) all are expected to make their debuts during the 2024 season, with Graceffo and McGreevy earning promotions to Double-A Springfield during the 2022 season. Hence spent the entire season with Single-A Palm Beach.
More pitching-related items from around baseball….
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!