St. Louis Cardinals: Five Free Agent Pitchers the Team Can Reboot

Apr 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Lackey (41) throws to a Philadelphia Phillies batter during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Phillies defeated the Cardinals 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

I’m sure many of you are disappointed the St. Louis Cardinals don’t have the kind of all-you-can-eat-buffet of a budget the Los Angeles Dodgers have. The team would simply buy David Price, Zack Greinke and maybe Jordan Zimmerman and be done with it. Boom. World Series, here we come.

But that’s not the way the Redbirds do business. And actually, that’s fine, because the organization has a great track record of picking up wayward pitchers and putting them back on track. It’s amazing what can happen when a player is put in a winning environment.

Pre-Cardinals John Lackey had an ERA under 4.00 in Boston, but those Red Sox years were tempestuous. There was the 6+ ERA year of 2011. The lost 2012. His failure, beyond the first year of his contract, to go 200 innings in a season. All the luster from his years with the Los Angeles Angels was gone. But now, after a 33-start, 218-inning sub-3.00 ERA season in St. Louis, it’s back. As much as it can be for a 37-year-old, anyway. 

Before Lackey, there was Kyle Lohse, whose 2012 season with the Cardinals remains the pinnacle of his 15-year career. Remember Jeff Suppan? His 2005 season in St. Louis was arguably his best. Woody Williams‘ lone All-Star season came as a 36-year-old Cardinals starter in 2003. So who’s next? Who will be the reclamation project in 2016?

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Jeff Samardzija

What a precipitous fall for the Shark. In 2014, Samardzija was the prized trade chip of the Chicago Cubs. The ace of the staff before Jake Arietta caught fire. The Cubs cashed him in for a bevy of prospects, including starting shortstop Addison Russell, and Samardzija pitched capably for Oakland in what was ultimately a losing effort.

The 6-6, 215-lb. righthander was about as close to a sure thing for the Chicago White Sox when GM Rick Hahn signed him at last year’s winter meetings. Samardzija was coming off his second straight 200-strikeout season and had lowered his ERA by more than a run. A bonus? He grew up rooting for the Sox.

Then he went out and gave up more hits, earned runs and homers than any other pitcher in baseball. Woof. Even so, the Yankees are in pursuit, making St. Louis an unlikely landing spot. Which may be the best thing for both parties.

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Doug Fister

Fister may have fallen even further than Samardzija in 2015. His 2.41 ERA in 2014 was sixth best among all big league starters. But last year, a forearm strain and mechanical issues led to his banishment to the Washington Nationals bullpen in August. Fister’s track record suggests a bounce-back 2016. His ERA for his seven-year career is 3.41, and he still averages less than a homer per nine.

Another plus is that he’s no fireballer. He generates a nice downward plane from his 6-feet-8 frame, relying on a sinker to generate a ton of ground balls. Part of what Fister needs to be really good again is an excellent defense behind him. Which is why he probably shouldn’t be signing with St. Louis this winter. Sorry.

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Ian Kennedy

Now here’s a guy who could use a little St. Louis. The San Diego Padres are repordedly going to extend Kennedy a qualifying offer despite his disappointing 2015 in which he posted a 4.28 ERA in 168 1/3 innings. But Scott Boras is his agent. Kennedy’s low 90s four-seam fastball hasn’t lost anything. He pitches off the four-seamer and mixes in a changeup and curveball.

Kennedy simply didn’t pitch well last year. In 2014, maybe you could say his defense failed him (3.18 FIP vs. 3.63 ERA), but not last year. And that defense was pretty bad (San Diego’s .684 defensive efficiency ration was 10th in the National League). Petco Park is certainly a favorable place to reestablish your market value as a pitcher. But losing baseball and poor defense more than offset that.

Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Mat Latos

I guess the Cincinnati Reds knew what they were doing when they unloaded Latos to the Miami Marlins last winter in exchange for a couple of prospects. After four solid seasons in that bandbox called Great American Ballpark, Latos promptly laid an egg in South Florida. He didn’t do much better after the Marlins traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, either.

Overall, in 116 1/3 innings of lackluster work, the inked-up righthander won just four games, posted an ERA close to 5.00 and by the end of the year was sitting forlornly in the Los Angeles Angels bullpen. Wow. Latos’ surly reputation won’t help his free agency. But he is the ideal buy-low-and-hope candidate for the Cardinals. Until last year, Latos was a very good starting pitcher.