The St. Louis Cardinals have been extremely active to begin the MLB offseason, inking deals with two free agents already. They signed Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to help improve a rotation that was among the league's worst in 2023.
While Lynn and Gibson can both eat innings, neither are a fit for the top of the rotation. The Cardinals are still searching for at least one, preferably two frontline arms as they try and get back to the postseason.
The moves John Mozeliak has made to kick off the offseason aren't horrifically bad, but they're definitely disappointing after watching his Cardinals finish with their worst record in a 162-game season since 1990. These are three moves Mozeliak can make to get the Cardinals offseason back on track.
1) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto could very well be the best available free agent that can pitch in 2024. Shohei Ohtani is obviously the key headliner, but his inability to pitch next season takes him off St. Louis' dream list. Yamamoto comes to the United States after winning three straight Sawamura Awards (Japan's equivalent to the Cy Young). He's just 25 years old and would headline this subpar Cardinals rotation for years to come.
The chances Yamamoto chooses St. Louis over some other big market teams that will also be very interested in him are probably slim, but if there was ever a time for the Cardinals to be ultra-aggressive, this is that time.
Adding Lynn and Gibson's innings isn't a bad thing, but those innings won't be of the highest quality. Yamamoto might not be ready to pitch every fifth day as is the case with most Japanese pitchers, but he should give quality innings every time he takes the mound.
2) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by trading for Dylan Cease
If the Cardinals are unwilling to spend the major amounts of money it'll take to land a frontline starter in free agency, perhaps Mozeliak will turn to the trade market. The Cardinals have a glut of outfielders and could be looking to consolidate from a position of strength in order to improve a weakness.
The White Sox are a team that could be looking to sell of major parts of their team this offseason, and if they do, Dylan Cease will become a primary trade target for several teams. The right-hander is coming off a bit of a down year in 2023 but was a Cy Young finalist the season prior, and comes with two years of team control.
Even in his down year, Cease was able to make 33 starts, give the White Sox 177 innings, and strike out 214 batters. His ERA was a bit high, but part of that can be attributed to some bad luck playing for a dreadful White Sox team, as he had a 3.67 FIP. There's every reason to believe he'll get right back to ace status with a change of scenery, and the Cardinals should give him that opportunity.
The Cardinals are in a unique position of having several assets teams will want with no place to play them. Using these spare parts to help land the frontline starter this team is missing would help get St. Louis back into the postseason conversation.
3) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by signing Sonny Gray
Let's say the Cardinals have no desire to give an ace like Yamamoto, Blake Snell, or Jordan Montgomery the six or seven years they're going to get in free agency. They could instead look to sign a different ace like Sonny Gray, who will likely only get three or four years in free agency.
Gray being 34 years old comes with the certainty that he won't require as large of a contract as the other starters in terms of the duration of the contract, but it also comes with the possibility that he could regress quickly.
Fortunately, Gray has a long way to go before he'd become anything close to a negative on the mound as he was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 2023. Gray finished as the AL Cy Young runner-up to Gerrit Cole after posting a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts and 184 innings pitched for the Twins.
Gray might not be as big of a name or have the stuff other top free agents have, but he's as reliable of an arm as they come in the majors right now. One pitcher isn't enough, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.