St. Louis Cardinals: 4 disappointments who should be replaced by the trade deadline

Carlos Martinez’s could be running out of time with the Cardinals as the MLB trade deadline looms

With Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas having dealt with injuries and Adam Wainwright sadly looking like he is over the hill, a ton of Cardinals fans’ frustrations with the starting rotation has been targeted at right-hander Carlos Martinez. And rightfully so, as he has been horrendous on the mound for St. Louis this year. He leads the league with 56 earned runs allowed in his 15 starts.

Martinez is a two-time NL All-Star and a former top prospect in the Cardinals organization. However, he has not been the same pitcher since 2019. His ERA from a year ago was a disastrous 9.90 in five starts. Unfortunately, it has not been much better for him this year, as he has a 4-9 record with a 6.38 ERA and a 1.405 WHIP in 79.0 innings pitched. He will hit free agency in 2022.

Nothing we have seen out of Martinez the last two years leads us to believe he will be back with the team on a new deal. The 29-year-old right-hander may have his best days on the mound behind him. We have to wonder at what point the front office makes a move to free up his spot in the rotation to see if someone like top prospect Matthew Liberatore can get his shot in the MLB.

Parting ways with Martinez is not a cure-all for the Cardinals’ pitching issues, but it could help.