The St. Louis Cardinals Three Headed Monster

There are many interesting things going on in spring training, and I’m not just talking about Will Ferrell’s decision to play for every team in existence in just one day.

The Cards have three options for their 5th starter spot:

Jaime Garcia, who is having a strong spring and giving hope that he’ll finally be healthy for an entire season.

Carlos Martinez, who was seemingly anointed our fifth starter for 2015 as soon as the playoffs ended last year.

Marco Gonzales, who shot up three levels last season and ended up in the Cardinals rotation.

Each has their issues:

Garcia’s aforementioned health issues makes me wary that he’d last the whole season. No matter how good his stuff is, I just don’t trust him to be able to make 25-30 starts in a season.

Martinez has been given the chance to start in the past, and he has struggled. What makes this time different? What assurance do we have that he’ll make the leap from solid reliever to dependable starter? He certainly has the stuff to do the job

Gonzales rocketed through the system last year, would giving him a starting spot in the rotation be too much too soon? Again, he has too good stuff, but some would wonder if he was too inexperienced for the job.

What would I do? I would personally keep Martinez in the pen, trade Garcia and let Gonzales take a shot at it.

I just don’t trust Garcia’s health. I’d take advantage of his good spring and get a decent prospect or two for him If he actually produces a healthy season, then I’d look like an idiot, but given his recent history, I’m a bit of a pessimist. Can you blame me?

Carlos has struggles in past attempts as a starter, so start him off in the bullpen again and give Marco a shot. He’s progressed very rapidly, and I have a feeling he’s ready for the job. If not, Carlos is there as a backup.

What do you think?

As always, thanks for reading.