St. Louis Cardinals News: Team signs T.J. McFarland for pitching depth

The St. Louis Cardinals need pithing depth badly and are hoping that adding on veteran lefty T.J. McFarland helps alleviate the stress of injuries.

The St. Louis Cardinals, forever on the quest to add more pitching depth, recently signed veteran left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland to a split major-league contract. He was recently granted his release by the Washington Nationals and, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, chose the Cardinals because he felt it was a better opportunity for him to get called up.

McFarland is not wrong. The Cardinals’ pitching depth has been decimated by injuries and inconsistent play throughout the season. But where he likely fits in is the bullpen, providing another left-handed arm alongside Andrew Miller and Genesis Cabrera, as Wade LeBlanc was moved to the rotation in place of right-hander John Gant.

McFarland, 32, will start with Triple-A Memphis. He should, barring a rough start, eventually make his way to the Cardinals’ major-league roster and contribute. He has a 4.08 ERA in eight career seasons, most recently posting a 4.35 ERA and 9/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20.2 innings with the Oakland A’s in 2020. He did struggle with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.25 ERA and 26/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 innings, though his 5.20 SO/W is the second-highest of his career.

It’s a no-risk move for the Cardinals, who have already had similar success with a signing like this with LeBlanc. Of course, it’s unfair to expect McFarland to work his way to the rotation, but it’s reasonable to anticipate him being a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen, which is what they envisioned with LeBlanc.

This signing, however, should not preclude the Cardinals from upgrading its pitching staff. They are happy with their bullpen as is, but it — as well as the rotation — could use another arm or two as they attempt to get through 162 games. This season has proven that you can never have enough pitching depth.

They will explore upgrades throughout July to bolster their pitching staff and the LeBlanc and McFarland additions are only the beginning of what should be the busiest month of the season for president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.