St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright out for season

It’s official. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright is out for the season after tearing the Achilles tendon in his left foot. Recovery time for the surgery is nine to twelve months.

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General manager John Mozeliak confirmed the news this afternoon.

This injury comes four seasons after the pitcher was forced to miss the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery.

It is expected that either Tyler Lyons or Tim Cooney will be called up prior to taking Wainwright’s place in the starting rotation on Thursday.

In the meantime, expect the Cardinals to start taking a serious look around Major League Baseball for a veteran replacement for the rotation. Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels is sure to be brought up as he was last season and during the offseason. Hamels’ wife is from the St. Louis area and has family in the area so he would fit in comfortably with the Cardinals.

MLB.com columnist Phil Rogers suggests that the Cardinals should target Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks. The left-handed veteran pitched 193 innings in 32 starts during the 2014 season. Danks signed a contract extension after the 2011 season and he is still owed $26 million on his deal.

"Danks is 10-7 with a 3.09 ERA in 25 interleague starts. That includes a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts during the last four seasons, when stacked AL lineups in Detroit, Boston and Texas have pounded him. He’s not going to replace Wainwright but he’ll provide innings and get results beyond what his 5.64 ERA suggests."

With Carlos Rodon now playing with the White Sox, the club is sure to give him as many starts as possible. In order to do so, they have to move one of their pitchers.

Danks may not turn out to be the answer but it could seem to be a win-win for both teams in the short-term.

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