Cardinals Front Office Looks Genius After Months Of Silence

The Cardinals made the right choice...

Mar 6, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hat and gloves lay in the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals spent the offseason full of questions, speculation, and rumors.

There was a lot said about St. Louis and a lot that didn't get done. The Cardinals were the subject of more trade rumors than probably anyone else -- and that was brought on themselves -- but opted to keep the roster pretty much intact largely due to no-trade clauses.

The Cardinals let the offseason go by and pretty much do nothing. That's not what this story is about. There's much to be made about the Cardinals' trade chatter, but this is about Phil Maton. After the Cardinals pretty much did nothing for months transactionally, they signed Maton to a one-year deal on March 13th.

Obviously, Spring Training was in full swing at that point. The Cardinals signed Maton just a few weeks away from the 2025 season but that clearly hasn't mattered for him. Despite not having a full Spring Training, he's been phenomenal.

Maton has appeared in nine games so far this season for the Cardinals and hasn't allowed a run yet. He has a 0.00 ERA and has struck out 10 batters in 8 1/3 innings pitched. The Cardinals lost set-up man Andrew Kittredge this past offseason and Maton has stepped into the role and has been even better in it to this point.

Kittredge had 2.80 ERA last year for the Cardinals in 74 appearances. Maton clearly has stepped into the role and has been great. It was a long offseason full of pretty much nothing. But, Maton's signing certainly has made the front office look good.

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