St. Louis Cardinals: 2 disappointments who need to be DFA’d

Carlos Martinez and the Cardinals seem to be heading towards a divorce

It was a good run, but one that is likely coming to an end at some point this year. At one time, Carlos Martinez was a top pitching prospect in the Cardinals organization. He has been a two-time NL All-Star in Cardinals uniform, but has not been the same pitcher for them the last two years. He is 4-9 in 16 starts this season with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.372 WHIP for the Cardinals.

Martinez is hitting free agency this winter ahead of his age-30 season out of the Dominican Republic. Seemingly with every start, he is crushing any potential trade value he could have, as well as an opportunity to secure the bag with somebody else in his impending free agency. With plenty of starts left in the tank, we have to think he may be getting designated for assignment.

Martinez could probably use a fresh start. Whether that comes in the second half of this year or next season remains to be seen. While he could be sent down to Triple-A Memphis, he is infinitely more likely to be traded elsewhere, or probably outright released at this point. This has been an incredibly frustrating season for the Cardinals, and Martinez has been a big contributor to that.

Ultimately, sending Oviedo back down to the minors of DFA’ing Martinez is not going to solve all of the Cardinals’ issues this season. The Milwaukee Brewers are starting to run away with the division, and the Cardinals may not have the firepower to keep pace with them in the second half of the season. Shockingly, they could be sellers at the 2021 MLB trade deadline in a few weeks.

No area has been a bigger disappointment for the Cardinals this year than their starting rotation.