Cardinals have a free agent solution for Jack Flaherty’s shoulder injury

If Jack Flaherty isn’t ready for the St. Louis Cardinals due to his shoulder injury, the team should pivot to a reunion with free agent J.A. Happ.

What will the St. Louis Cardinals do to overcome the shoulder injury to Jack Flaherty? Do they make a trade for someone like Sean Manaea or take a simpler approach and dive into the still active free agent market?

Free agency is the simplest. And wouldn’t you know, there is a familiar name out there, available, and likely not too pricy.

A reunion with J.A. Happ could be the exact kind of temporary remedy the Cardinals need.

The Cardinals can solve the absence of Jack Flaherty by re-signing J.A. Happ

Happ is about to enter his age 39 season which puts him in rare company among active baseball players. Even professional bowlers might be entering the twilight of their career at that stage of life. Happ, not quite ready to call it quits on his major league career, could be both a cost-efficient and effective solution for the Cardinals to get through the absence of Flaherty.

Last season, Happ finished things up with 11 solid starts for St. Louis after getting dealt there at the trade deadline. He went 5-2 with a 4.00 ERA—the exact kind of performance you would want from your fifth starter. It was a huge contrast from the 5-6 record and 6.77 ERA he had in 19 appearances for the Minnesota Twins. The change of scenery seemed to reinvigorate the up-and-down pitcher.

In the past, Happ secured himself some pretty nice contracts. Even with inflation, the $17 million he was paid by the New York Yankees in 2019 and again in 2020 is probably more than you would have guessed. Last year, he took a one-year offer from the Twins at $8 million. If he wants to stick around the game for another year, it’ll be a whole lot less.

Pitchers like Happ are just sitting out there in free agency waiting for a phone call to come to camp. Familiarity should help both sides get a deal done. At the cost of nothing more than money, it’s a solution the team can turn to as opposed to leaving a hole in the rotation.