St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Did Adam Wainwright throw shade at the Atlanta Braves?

Adam Wainwright is a former draft pick of the Atlanta Braves, though he feels very little connection to the organization he grew up rooting for. Wainwright, who is still just short of 200 wins, is in his final MLB season. He'll likely make his last start in the ATL on Thursday night.

Waino knows he'll feel some type of way in the final month of his career in St. Louis. It just likely won't come against the Braves, which feature one of the more powerful lineups in the major leagues.

"I mean, if I'm going to be honest, the only one I'm going to be emotional about is Busch Stadium," said Wainwright, per MLB.com. "I love playing here, and I love coming to Atlanta and I'll be sad to not come to these great parks anymore. But I'm OK with it."

Wainwright is thankful that the Braves gave him his big-league chance in the first place. He was honored before Wednesday's game for a reason. However, when he's on the mound, Waino will have one sole focus -- escaping Atlanta's lineup alive.

"The Braves drafted me, which was amazing, but I got traded and I didn't have a choice in that, but it ended up being amazing for me," Wainwright continued. "Since then, all the contracts I have signed have been my choice, and I didn't go anywhere because I wanted to be in St. Louis. I wanted to stay there, make a name there and help our franchise, which I felt like I did most of the time. It's been a good partnership."

Wainwright and the Braves know each other well at this point, but only as adversaries, not for what could have been.

St. Louis Cardinals rumors: A potential reunion in the works?

With the St. Louis Cardinals expected to pursue starting pitching this offseason, there are several former Cards on the free-agent market who could be of interest. Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are the obvious choices, as they were traded at the deadline. Both have expressed interest in a return to St. Louis, and FanSided's Robert Murray thinks Montgomery is someone John Mozeliak will target:

"Jordan Montgomery will be expensive, especially as he continues to pitch like a frontline starter for the Texas Rangers. But the Cardinals know Montgomery, have actively pursued left-handed pitching in recent seasons, and ultimately acquired the left-hander from the New York Yankees for outfielder Harrison Bader at the 2022 trade deadline...Clearly the Cardinals like Montgomery. He was their best pitcher when he was in St. Louis...It would not be a surprise to see the Cardinals pursue Montgomery again this winter, and a reunion makes total sense for both sides," Murray wrote.

But perhaps we're under-selling the Cards slightly. Could they chase someone a little further back in their past? Michael Wacha, who spent the last two seasons with the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres reinventing himself as a pitcher, would be an attractive rotation asset if his numbers hold.

In an article for Redbird Rants, Curt Bishop made the argument for bringing back Wacha, despite some ups and downs in the organization:

"His time in St. Louis may have been marred by injuries, but he has proven that when healthy, he can be a dangerous weapon in any starting rotation. He was always more of a ground ball pitcher with the Cardinals, but he's improving in the strikeout category, and that's something the Cardinals need more of. He also doesn't walk a lot of batters...He also wouldn't be terribly expensive, making this a move that John Mozeliak and Bill DeWitt might be comfortable making. Organizational familiarity is also a plus, and he would be reuniting with several former teammates."

Wacha is worth another short-term deal in St. Louis, especially if he has found his stuff.

St. Louis Cardinals: A new Japenese free-agent target

The St. Louis Cardinals will look under every rock for starting pitching help, and that includes internationally. The Cards are expected to fill at least three rotation spots via free agency and trades. One of those slots could be filled by Japanese starter Shōta Imanaga, who is expected to be posted by his team for MLB free agency.

"Sources: LHP Shōta Imanaga will be posted to MLB teams this offseason by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Imanaga, who won gold at the (World Baseball Classic), has a career-best 8.21 SO/W ratio in 133 1/3 IP this year," Morosi said. "Imanaga joins Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the top NPB stars available."

St. Louis has history with Imanaga, as they scouted him earlier this season. With Adam Wainwright and more out the door this offseason -- as well as their previous decisions to trade Montgomery and Flaherty -- there's plenty of work to do for Mozeliak and Co.

Perhaps Imanaga provides them with an answer to one of those problems.