A hypothetical St. Louis Cardinals offseason blueprint

Well, the Cardinals got a jump start on free agency Monday with two big announcements. First, they re-signed left-handed reliever and double play specialist T.J. McFarland. After being picked up during the middle of the year, McFarland gave up only 11 earned runs in 38.2 innings out of the pen last year. His ERA+ of 153 and groundball rate of 62% were outstanding, and it was a smart move by the front office to keep him around on a one-year deal.

The other big news was the official announcement that Matt Carpenter would not be resigning with the Cardinals this offseason. Carpenter released a heartfelt tribute through the Player’s Tribune that is well worth a read. We salute him for all the incredible memories he gave St. Louis over the past ten years, and wish him luck wherever he goes next.

There is only one other Cardinals free agent that I would re-sign: Luis Garcia. The 34-year-old veteran was electric out of the bullpen this season, and might have been the waiver addition of the year for St. Louis. Averaging over a strikeout an inning and boasting an impressive arsenal, resigning Garcia to a one-year deal would be my next move.

Unfortunately, that means we are saying goodbye to quite a few players. Andrew Miller and Kwang-Hyun Kim were inconsistent during their time in St. Louis, but the lefties both should be remembered fondly for their positive spirits and veteran leadership. J.A. Happ, Wade LeBlanc, and Jon Lester will always be crucial members of the record win-streak team. And Carlos Martinez– well, we can get into that one another time.

So, with the addition of Luis Garcia, it’s almost time to move outside the organization and start acquiring talent. You have to take care of your own first, and by retaining McFarland and Garcia, the Cardinals have done just that. Our offseason adventure is officially underway!