Jaime Garcia: What will 2015 bring for the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher?

Bernie Miklasz recently offered his thoughts on the never-ending saga surrounding St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia.

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As much as it pains me to say it, it’s saddening that it has come to this. Fool me twice, shame on you, right? I don’t know what to think on the Garcia matter. At the same time, I want to see how he looks throwing off the mound in a Spring Training game. Not a simulated game. An actual game. This is a pitcher that the Cardinals are paying $9.25 million for the 2015 season, whether or not he pitches during the year.

I’m inclined to believe that Garcia’s 2016 team option will not be picked up. Why would it? Marco Gonzales, Tim Cooney, and other left-handers like Rob Kaminsky are waiting in the wings.

Let’s focus on 2015 for now. With what Garcia is being paid to pitch or not pitch, what options are there for the Cardinals? They could convert him into a relief pitcher as Bernie suggests. I don’t see him profiling as a one or two outs type of left-handed reliever.

Bernie writes that “a long-reliever role would be more suitable” but adds that nobody knows how the pitcher would even “handle the assignment.”

There’s the option of finding a team willing to trade for Garcia but let’s be honest here, I don’t think a trade would work. I doubt it. I really do.

Another suggestion and this is where I find myself in agreement with Bernie:

"Eat the $9.25 million and part ways. Just write off the contract as a bust. This happens in baseball. No GM makes the right decisions 100 percent of the time, and I thought the Garcia contract made sense when Mozeliak made the commitment."

The only other option is designating Garcia for assignment.

We saw what happened with Mark Mulder. He tried to come back repeatedly from injury. At some point the Cardinals will just have to accept the inevitable.

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