4 pitching options available for St. Louis Cardinals as lockout begins

Giovanny Gallegos #65 and Andrew Knizner #7 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 during game one of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park on September 01, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Giovanny Gallegos #65 and Andrew Knizner #7 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 during game one of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park on September 01, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 04: Matthew Boyd #48 of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 04, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 04: Matthew Boyd #48 of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 04, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Matthew Boyd

Matthew Boyd was non-tendered a contract this week by the Detroit Tigers, making him a free agent.

This season he was 3-8 with 15 games started and 78.2 innings thrown. He gave up 77 hits, 34 earned runs, 23 walks while striking out 67. He did induce 38.4% grounders and had a  27.3% swinging strike percentage.

The 30-year-old lefty relies on a four-seam fastball and mixes things up with a change-up, slider, curveball, and sinker. Boyd’s slider averages 80.4 mph with an active spin of 31%. The sinker averages 91 mph with an active spin of 89%. The four-seamer averages 92 mph with an active spin of 89%. Boyd’s curveball averages 73.4 mph with a 94% active spin. The changeup is 79.9 mph with an active spin of 87%.

Mostly a starter throughout his career, Boyd had elbow issues this season that slowed him down. If the Cardinals were to pick Boyd up after the lockout ends, it would be interesting to see him get moved to either an opener or even a mid-innings long reliever.

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