5 pitching options the St. Louis Cardinals should consider post-lockout

Jack Flaherty #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on October 3, 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
Jack Flaherty #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on October 3, 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 05: Zach Davies #27 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on September 05, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 05: Zach Davies #27 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on September 05, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Zach Davies

Zach Davies is a righty who primarily relies on his off-speed pitches. Imagine would that would look like with a Gold Glove defense behind him.

Davies spent last season with the Chicago Cubs going 6-12 in 32 games started. He threw 114 strikeouts in 148 innings. The experience had to leave Davies frustrated as the infield changed dramatically after several franchise-altering moves took place leaving the defense young and inexperienced.

For his seven-year career, Davies is 56-48 in 155 games, throwing 611 strikeouts over 831.2 innings. He primarily relies on a sinker, change-up, cutter, and curveball. He would seem to be an excellent experiment for Molina and Maddux. He could benefit from working alongside Adam Wainwright and Steven Matz as well as young guns Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson.

It would be interesting to see Davies get a one or two-year contract with a club option for the future based on incentives.