3 Cardinals who won’t be back next season after Wild Card game disappointment
By Scott Rogust
The St. Louis Cardinals made it known since last winter that they planned on making the postseason. While they succeeded, a Wild Card game loss puts these contracts in question.
The St. Louis Cardinals showed their hands this offseason that they were going all-in on making the postseason. That was evident after they re-signed Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, in addition to pulling off the blockbuster trade for Nolan Arenado. They looked to be the favorites to win the NL Central on paper.
The Cards went on an absurd winning streak late in the season to make the playoffs. They were the talk of baseball, thanks in part to some bold additions in the rotation. Sadly for St. Louis, a Wild Card loss at the hands of Chris Taylor was in their future.
3 Cardinals who won’t be back next season
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The Cardinals pitching staff went into disarray after ace Jack Flaherty was sidelined for over two months after suffering a left oblique injury back in May. St. Louis failed to get a certified ace at the trade deadline like Max Scherzer or Jose Berrios. So, they opted to acquire veteran J.A. Happ from the Minnesota Twins.
Trading for Happ was a bit puzzling by the Cardinals, considering he carried a bloated 6.77 ERA through 19 starts with the Twins. Yet, he has improved since arriving in St. Louis.
In his 11 starts with the Cardinals, Happ recorded a 4.00 ERA.
Happ is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season. If that is the case, it is hard to see the Cardinals bringing him back, especially since there are a ton of big-name starters set to hit the open market this upcoming winter.