Ideal starting rotation for the Cardinals in the 2024 season
By Curt Bishop
The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be one of baseball's busiest teams this coming winter. After a dreadful 2023 season, fans can't wait to focus on what could be a much better team in 2024.
It's going to start with the starting rotation, one that only has two starters under contract for 2024 and 2025. Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz fill out the bottom two spots in St. Louis' rotation, but the top three spots need to be filled.
Here is what the ideal 2024 rotation should look like for the Cardinals:
5. Steven Matz
Matz got off to a very rough start this season. After starting off 0-6 with a 5.72 ERA, the left-hander was moved to the bullpen, where he seemed to figure things out.
Upon his return to the rotation, he enjoyed a solid stretch, one in which he was the Cardinals' most reliable starter. He finished the season 4-7 with a 3.86 ERA, but after a solid start against the Kansas City Royals on August 12, his season came to an end due to an oblique injury.
Staying healthy will be the key for Matz as he enters the final two years of his contract with the Cardinals.