3 moves John Mozeliak can make to save Cardinals offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals have been extremely active to begin the MLB offseason, inking deals with two free agents already. They signed Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to help improve a rotation that was among the league's worst in 2023.

While Lynn and Gibson can both eat innings, neither are a fit for the top of the rotation. The Cardinals are still searching for at least one, preferably two frontline arms as they try and get back to the postseason.

The moves John Mozeliak has made to kick off the offseason aren't horrifically bad, but they're definitely disappointing after watching his Cardinals finish with their worst record in a 162-game season since 1990. These are three moves Mozeliak can make to get the Cardinals offseason back on track.

1) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto could very well be the best available free agent that can pitch in 2024. Shohei Ohtani is obviously the key headliner, but his inability to pitch next season takes him off St. Louis' dream list. Yamamoto comes to the United States after winning three straight Sawamura Awards (Japan's equivalent to the Cy Young). He's just 25 years old and would headline this subpar Cardinals rotation for years to come.

The chances Yamamoto chooses St. Louis over some other big market teams that will also be very interested in him are probably slim, but if there was ever a time for the Cardinals to be ultra-aggressive, this is that time.

Adding Lynn and Gibson's innings isn't a bad thing, but those innings won't be of the highest quality. Yamamoto might not be ready to pitch every fifth day as is the case with most Japanese pitchers, but he should give quality innings every time he takes the mound.