5 free agents the St. Louis Cardinals should keep in 2022

The St. Louis Cardinals have a number of players who could be turning to free agency this winter. Who are some players you’d like to see them keep?

The St. Louis Cardinals had a lot of characters in 2021. Some of them played a grand role in the epic ups and downs of this season that ended with a historic winning streak in September only to have them lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a one-and-done Wild Card game.

You have your players that will be back in 2022, of course, such as Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

Then there are players you would love to see back but you don’t know how they are health-wise such as Wade LeBlanc, who excelled as a starter for the Cardinals when the team desperately needed his arm. He was a great clubhouse presence and cheerleader but most of all, you could tell he loved the role he was put in and that he wanted to be in St. Louis. LeBlanc’s season ended due to elbow issues but you have to wonder what would be next for him and could he get another year in St. Louis. It’s very unclear but he will be one to keep an eye on as he was just a good presence.

As with any season, there are the players where what is next is absolutely in the air. You don’t know if the Cardinals are thinking about bringing them back, but you would certainly appreciate them kicking the tires, as Cardinals’ president of baseball operations John Mozeliak would put it.

There are players who contributed greatly to this team in 2021 that you would love to see come back and get a little more time with the Birds on the Bat.

Let’s discuss some of those players the Cardinals should consider bringing back!

Jose Rondon

He didn’t get a lot of playing time in 2021, but when he did, Jose Rondon was an impact option.

Rondon had 90 plate appearances in 2021 and hit .263/.322/.413 with a 101 wRC+. He is not an everyday player but he is definitely an interesting option off the bench to spell a regular player or be a pinch-runner. He has the capability to hit as well. It’s easy to remember he had a couple of crucial home runs during the final weeks of the season. He’s also a great presence in the clubhouse always having a smile on his face and cheering on his teammates.

Rondon does not have a contract for 2022 and will be on the free-agent market. It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals retain him as a bench option in 2022.

With his dynamic presence, It will be fun to see where Rondon ends up in 2022 for sure!

Jon Lester

It was one of the more surprising moves of the trade deadline. The Cardinals traded Lane Thomas to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Jon Lester.

Lester started 12 games for the Cardinals going 4-1. While he had several no decisions, he pitched 66 innings and struck 40 while earning his 200th career win with the Cardinals. Once joining the Cardinals he changed his pitching technique and found greater success. Instead of relying solely on his fastball, he began incorporating pitches like his change-up and curveball in order to create opportunities to throw off his opponents and get them to create opportunities for the stellar defense behind him.

Lester grew to appreciate the pitch-to-contact style taught in the Cardinals system.

That said, Lester did say he would like the opportunity to play in 2022 with the Cardinals. He seemed to really gel with Molina and the rest of the pitching staff and club. After this season, fans learned a team can never have enough pitching. Lester would definitely provide pitching depth and a veteran presence that will be fun for the younger members of the team.

It would be great to see Lester in a Cardinals uniform in 2022 and possibly beyond if he is up for it!

T.J. McFarland

T.J. McFarland was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals on July 1 for the remainder of the season. Down the stretch, McFarland made a huge impact on the Cardinals’ bullpen.

He pitched in 38 games for the Cardinals going 4-1, pitching 38.2 innings. He had 15 holds on the season with 21 strikeouts.  He was pretty effective at getting outs when he came into the game for the Cardinals. He was known to be able to induce double plays when he entered the game. He had a 63.7 ground ball percentage and an 81.5 left on base percentage.

Recall his reaction to the wild double play in Chicago:

That’s something you need in the bullpen. You can never have enough options like McFarland.

He also appeared to be really popular with the guys in the ‘pen as well as the clubhouse.

Nice!

It hardly seems fair to only have only a few months of McFarland. He is not signed for 2022 and it would be pretty great to McFarland and Lars Nootbaar buddy up again!

Here’s hoping they do work toward signing him to a deal of some sort for 2022 and possibly longer. It’s important to have a reliever with the ability to induce some wild outs.

Luis Garcia

Luis Garcia was signed by the Cardinals as a free agent on July 9. Since then, Garcia has developed his role as a late-inning reliever who proved beneficial when the bullpen was struggling in August.

Garcia appeared in 34 games for the Cardinals, going 1-1 with two saves and 11 holds. He proved to be a good lead-in option to Giovanny Gallegos as he became the team’s closer. Garcia had a ground ball percent of  45.7  and a left on-base percentage of 70.5.

In a year where the Cardinals pitching staff struggled mightily, Garcia proved to be an excellent option in the later innings and he could easily fill that role again next season if the Cardinals decide to bring back the crafty pitcher. He would be a good option for a the bullpen in 2022.