With the news of Michael Wacha signing with the San Diego Padres, all of the top free agent starting pitchers have come off the board.
Despite their obvious need for some extra starting pitching help, the St. Louis Cardinals mostly stood pat, save for the signing of left-hander Andrew Suarez to a minor league deal.
Wacha, Nathan Eovaldi, Carlos Rodon, Tyler Anderson, or any of the other starters available would have been of use to St. Louis.
On Twitter, one Cardinals fan expressed his frustration over the team’s lack of activity in the starting pitcher market, saying that the team should have attempted to sign Wacha.
Should’ve signed him.@Cardinals https://t.co/kMKqy9RXV8
— The Cardinal Way (@STL_Cards_nut) February 14, 2023
Wacha of course made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2013 and earned NLCS MVP honors.
He was with the team until 2019 before he made brief stops with the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays.
However, he’s enjoyed a solid bounce-back campaign with the Boston Red Sox in 2022, winning 11 games in 23 starts and posting an ERA of 3.32.
With Steven Matz being the only starter under contract for 2024 and question marks surrounding Jack Flaherty, as well as Matz, adding a starter would have made sense for St. Louis.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, and all of the top free agent starters have come off the board.
St. Louis will be in good shape if Flaherty remains healthy, but they’re banking on a lot to go right, which could be a risky approach.
Wacha will reunite with his former Cardinals teammate in Matt Carpenter.
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