Cardinals Rumors: Jon Lester is open to returning in 2022

Jon Lester is open to returning to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022.

When the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Jon Lester, the immediate reaction was “Huh?” and utter confusion. The move to acquire Lester, a pitcher in his upper 30s and had struggled in 2021, made little sense.

But Lester has emerged as one of the Cardinals’ most dependable pitchers since being acquired on July 30, posting a 4.30 ERA in eight starts. He has saved his best work for his last six starts, however, allowing two or less runs in five of those starts — and with the team going 4-2 in those outings.

Lester, 37, is undecided about playing in 2022, but if he does decide to play another season, he is open to returning to the Cardinals, according to Zachary Silver of MLB.com.

The Cardinals are going to be in the market for starting pitching this offseason and after his strong performances, Lester has to be among the players they consider. He would command a one-year deal worth somewhere around $2-3 million annually, but the Cardinals may prefer to give that rotation spot to a young prospect (Matthew Liberatore?) or a different internal option (Alex Reyes?).

So, despite his interest in returning to St. Louis, there is a very real chance Lester is making his final starts with the Cardinals. And if that is indeed the case, they better not waste his outings. He’s been their best pitcher not named Adam Wainwright and in Lester’s last two outings, the Cardinals have either blown a big lead or not scored enough runs.

For a team on the playoff bubble, that simply can’t happen. The Cardinals only have three, maybe four, more outings from Lester to correct it. But their struggles in his last two starts could be the difference between them making and missing the postseason.

“He’s pitched in big games before and nothing’s too big for him, so it’s always nice to have that calming presence on the mound,” Nolan Arenado said. “Hopefully he continues to keep us in ballgames and hopefully we can reward him for them, too.”