Cardinals Linked To Pair Of Affordable Frontline Starters To Bolster 2024 Rotation
The St. Louis Cardinals have been adamant that changes are coming to the pitching staff -- including the addition of at least three new starting pitchers.
The upcoming free-agent class is loaded with starting pitching and the Cardinals are expected to be heavily involved in the sweepstakes.
"Looking at FanGraphs’ Roster Resource page, I’m guesstimating around $40 million between what they have spent this year and what they have locked down for next year between salaries and arbitration," The Athletic's Eno Sarris wrote Friday.
It would be logical to see ownership increase its budget for the 2024 season in a much-needed panic move but there are ways to improve the staff either way.
Sarris suggests St. Louis should start the offseason by signing Japanese ace Shota Imanaga to a five-year, $75 million deal. The 30-year-old has garnered some serious hype since rumors arose of him being posted this offseason -- and his stats back it up.
The southpaw is 7-3 with a 2.81 ERA, 152-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.03 WHIP in 128 innings across 19 starts this season. The veteran would be a great addition to the Cardinals rotation.
His second suggestion is a player fans a much more familiar with: Minnesota Twins right-hander Sonny Gray. Sarris suggests St. Louis should aim to bring him in for under $20 million a year, a reasonable objective.
The 33-year-old has a 2.98 ERA with a 160-to-53 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .227 batting average against and 1.17 WHIP and a 147 ERA+ in 163 innings this season. The veteran's 0.4 home run per nine innings is the best in Major League Baseball.
The Cardinals would be greatly improved with these two additions, though they'd be wise to continue the youth movement as well seeing as both hurlers are on the wrong side of 30.
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