Projected Cardinals nightmare rotation without Sonny Gray in it

1. Steven Matz may be the Cardinals best hope if Sonny Gray misses time

Out of all current Cardinals starters, Steven Matz showed some promise late in 2023.

After an awful start to the season, the left-hander was moved to the bullpen and found himself again. He was moved back to the rotation when Adam Wainwright went down with a shoulder injury and ended up performing quite well.

In the end, Matz had a record of 4-7 and a respectable 3.86 ERA.

The major concern for Matz however is his health. As we mentioned previously, his season was cut short due to a lat injury he suffered in August. But after Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty were shipped out, he was the team's most dependable starter.

Should Matz stay healthy, the Cardinals should have a solid left-handed option in their rotation. They'll need him to go deep in games, but that shouldn't be too much to ask if he can stay off the injured list.

Out of everybody, Matz is likely the Cardinals best starter behind Gray. But like Lynn, he isn't a frontline guy. That's something that the Cardinals desperately needed this offseason. We'll see if he can remain healthy in 2024.