Cardinals linked to another journeyman 'ace' who won't save John Mozeliak's job
By Mark Powell
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak faces an uphill battle to regain the trust of a fanbase which expects success, but has been provided a mediocre on-field product the last two years.
Typically, when leaders within an organization don't meet the expectations of consumers, changes are made. The Cardinals went the opposite route, instead extending manager Oli Marmol beyond his current contract. With St. Louis sitting a game under .500 after Saturday's loss to the rival Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals are at another crossroads.
Mozeliak's trade deadline plans are to add a fifth starter and a right-handed bat. That's...not enough to make St. Louis a legitimate National League contender. Heck, it might not be enough to get them to the postseason.
John Mozeliak, Cardinals need to think big or sell
The Cardinals have already been connected to that potential fifth starter, and it's Los Angeles Angels 'ace' Tyler Anderson. The left-handed pitcher's numbers are impressive so far this season, as he has a 2.58 ERA on a bad Angels team. Anderson is available and signed through 2025 for any team willing to meet the Angels asking price. That added year at the end of his contract makes the Angels southpaw more valuable.
As Fan Nation's Nate Hagerty notes, Anderson is pitching far better than his career outlook so far this season, which has to be a concern moving forward. Is a second-half collapse looming?
"The journeyman has logged a 55-55 record with a 4.21 ERA, 852-to-318 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .253 batting average against and a 1.27 WHIP throughout nine seasons pitched in the league with six different clubs," Hagerty wrote.
While adding Anderson could help the Cardinals rotation, it isn't the type of trade that will move the needle enough in the National League. St Louis won't suddenly be competing with Milwaukee atop the NL Central because they add Anderson to the starting rotation, and that is more or less the point I am trying to make.
If Mozeliak is content contending for the third NL Wild Card spot and making the postseason only to lose in the first round, so be it. That is not the kind of leader the Cardinals need atop their front office, and surely Bill DeWitt knows this.
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