The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to improve their pitching staff for the 2024 season after a disappointing performance in 2023. The team’s ERA increased by nearly one run from the previous year, and they struggled with blown saves. Only Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, if healthy, are expected to return to the starting rotation. The team is considering promoting from within or attracting experienced pitchers from other teams. Lead executive John Mozeliak has stated that acquiring quality pitching is a top priority for the offseason.
Possible additions to the rotation include Dakota Hudson, Matthew Liberatore or Zack Thompson who have shown promise in recent games. Other potential options could come through free agency or trades, with names like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola and Julio Urias mentioned as possibilities.
However, these options would require significant financial investment from the Cardinals who have historically been cautious in their spending on pitchers. The team’s largest free agent deal for a pitcher was Mike Leake’s five-year contract worth $80 million which started in 2016 but fell short of expectations.
The Cardinals also have several promising prospects within their organization including Tink Hence, Gordon Graceffo and Michael McGreevy who could potentially step up into major league roles.