All the wrong moves: What Cardinals rotation could have looked like if front office didn’t blow it
Can you imagine what the St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation would look like had some moves gone differently?
The St. Louis Cardinals have made several questionable moves over the past few seasons. The most dubious move from John Mozeliak, Cards president of baseball operations, has come from the pitching department.
While the team is loaded with some talented young prospect pitchers from Mike McGreevy, Cooper Hjerpe, and Gordon Graceffo, their current rotation features some arms that will give pause.
Adam Wainwright is considered the ace and seasoned veteran of the rotation. While he is in his final season as a big leaguer, he’s still seen as a leader on the team. He is the go-to leader and not just for the pitchers.
Jack Flaherty had his best start in two seasons on Monday against the Brewers. He finally looked like the ace pitcher they have wanted him to be since he was injured in 2021. After this season, he is expected to enter free agency. While he’s said he would like to stay in St. Louis, there is always speculation he would like to go home to California.
Jordan Montgomery is another arm headed into free agency after this season. Miles Mikolas signed a two-year extension before the season worth $40 million. Matthew Liberatore was promoted to the sixth arm of the rotation after having success in AAA Memphis. He had an outstanding start against the Brewers, with Steven Matz and Jake Woodford have been starters, but they have struggled.
So imagine if the Cardinals had made some different moves. They could have a lot less stress from their uncertainty. They could have some young aces to pair with Flaherty. And they could have a couple more veterans to pair with Wainwright and Mikolas.
Let’s examine some of the pitchers the Cardinals shouldn’t have moved.
STL Cardinals: What rotation could’ve looked like if front office didn’t screw up
5. Lance Lynn
While management thought it was time to move on from the hard-throwing, innings-eating workhorse, Lynn hoped to remain with the Cardinals when he was granted free agency in 2017. Instead, Lynn signed a deal to play for the Twins and was traded later that season to the Yankees. From there, he’s played for the Rangers and White Sox.
Except for the Covid shortened 2020 season, Lynn has averaged 200 innings and 200 strikeouts per season. Lynn has been in the league for 12 seasons. He is signed with the White Sox through the end of this season. While a team option exists for 2024, any team looking for a tremendous pitcher shouldn’t shy from Lynn. He is 36 but still has decent stuff.
The Cardinals moved on from Lynn, but he could have been a vital rotation member when the team struggled with inconsistent, immature pitchers.