St. Louis needs to bolster its starting lineup this offseason, but one player may not be enough.
This was demonstrated by winning only 71 games in 2023. St. Louis entered the season with questions around its rotation, but believed its offense would be strong enough to compensate for a lack of pitching depth. While the Cardinals’ offense was strong for much of the season, the rotation was so awful that the squad experienced one of its worst seasons in team history
The Cardinals’ trades of Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty ahead of the trade deadline didn’t improve the rotation, but St. Louis was far enough out of contention in the National League Central at the time that it made more sense to acquire prospects.
St. Louis has stated that it intends to significantly upgrade its rotation this offseason, with hopes to add two or three starters via free agency or the trade market. Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres has been connected to the Cardinals on many occasions. Despite being one of the most prominent free agents available, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch feels the Cardinals should pass on him.
“Don’t get me wrong here,” Frederickson cautioned. “Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is a free agent who could be extremely beneficial to the Cardinals.” He’s also the only apparent choice I’d turn down if I were the Cardinals…
“He’ll be 31 next month. Just old enough to avoid any age-related discounts. Just old enough to question if he’ll have another season like 2023 and 2018 on his new contract. For the second time this season, the southpaw starter led the majors in ERA (2.25). He also led the majors in walks (99) for the first time, becoming the first pitcher to do so since 1913. Odd.”
Snell is a talent who earned his second Cy Young Award after leading the National League with an amazing 2.25 ERA, but as Frederickson said, he also led the league in walks. Furthermore, at 31 years old, there are legitimate concerns regarding his future. He’ll get a big contract this offseason, and the Cardinals might be better off spending their money elsewhere.
Other candidates include Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, a reunion with Montgomery, and others. It’s evident that St. Louis will make a move this summer, but it might not be with Snell.
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