Cardinals Reportedly Will Pursue Pair Of All-Star Pitchers Deemed As 'Good Fits' For Rotation
The St. Louis Cardinals have a potent lineup and some impressive back-end relievers set to return in 2024.
Despite a last-place finish in the less-than-stellar National League Central, St. Louis appears to only be a few notable starters away from contention. The pitching staff will be heavily emphasized this offseason and it appears that the Cardinals already have a plan in place.
"According to multiple sources, veteran starters Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola are free agents the Cardinals have identified as good fits and plan to approach to see if the feeling is mutual," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold on Friday. "Both have already won playoff games this week. Gray pitched five shutout innings with six strikeouts for Minnesota, and Nola followed a few hours later with seven scoreless and three strikeouts for the (Philadelphia) Phillies."
Aaron Nola would be deemed the bigger ticket of the two hurlers, though both have much to offer.
The 30-year-old posted a 4.46 ERA with a 202-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .240 batting average against and 1.15 WHIP in 193 2/3 innings across 32 starts. Nola had a down season but finished in fourth place for the National League Cy-Young Award last year and has a career 3.72 ERA alongside an ability to post every fifth day. The right-hander has made at least 32 starts each of the last three seasons, made all 12 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, made 34 starts in 2019 and 33 in 2018.
After an injury-riddled season, St. Louis could put some emphasis on a player such as Nola. He'll be an attractive frontline option to track this winter.
Gray will not covet nearly as much money as Nola due to age but has actually been the better pitcher both this season and over the course of their respective careers.
The 33-year-old posted a 2.79 ERA with a 183-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .226 batting average against and 1.15 WHIP in 184 innings across 32 starts this season. Gray led Major League Baseball with a 2.83 FIP and 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.
The veteran has a career 3.47 ERA and has shown no signs of slowing down. He'll receive Cy-Young votes for his 2023 season and rightfully so. Gray appears to be the top fit for St. Louis, though they'll need to do a lot more as well.
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