St. Louis Cardinals Best/Worst Case: Jaime Garcia

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia needs a healthy season to stay with the Redbirds beyond 2016. What are the best/worst case scenarios for the lefty?

Throughout his career, Jaime Garcia has often been described as having the filthiest stuff on the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff. Garcia’s arsenal of pitches, including a fastball and cutter with nasty movement, a strong curveball, and a drop off changeup, definitely back up those claims. But, the big question for the left-hander has always been whether or not he can stay healthy.

As we continue our best/worst case series, I want to examine Garcia’s outlook for 2016. It’s a defining season for the lefty.

While the Cardinals did pick up his $11.5M option for 2016, Garcia will have to prove that he can not only be filthy, but also stay healthy for a full season if he wants to continue his career with St. Louis. If Garcia can do that, he could be 12 million dollars richer come 2017 if the Cardinals choose to pick up that option. More than that, it could land him a long-term deal with the Cardinals.

Will Garcia stay healthy this season and start 30 games? Was last season an accurate indicator of how dominant Garcia can be in the National League? All of these questions and more will, of course, be answered as the season progresses.

But for now, what is the best case scenario for Garcia in 2016?

Next: Best Case: Garcia Stays Healthy