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