Pitching reinforcements soon on the way for St. Louis Cardinals

Pitching reinforcements are soon on the way for the St. Louis Cardinals, as left-hander Steven Matz is close to coming off the Injured List.

The St. Louis Cardinals will prioritize pitching upgrades at the trade deadline. That figures to come in the form of both a starting pitcher and reliever(s). But their most significant additions figure to come in-house – and one of them appears to be on the doorstep of returning.

Steven Matz, the Cardinals’ prized free-agent addition, is making one more rehab start in Triple-A. If all goes well, he will join the major-league team and make at least one start prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told MLB.com. Jack Flaherty, meanwhile, will be out until after the deadline.

Matz returning for the Cardinals is rather significant. While he struggled to the tune of a 6.03 ERA and a -0.6 WAR, they gave him a four-year, $44 million contract for a reason. They feel like he can be a difference-maker in the rotation and give them a strong left-handed option in a right-handed heavy rotation.

Once he returns, they’ll have a chance to evaluate where Matz is at and have a better idea of how to proceed at the trade deadline. Regardless, the team is going to explore the starting pitching market, and it’s possible that they once again look to add another veteran left-hander along the lines of J.A. Happ or Jon Lester, perhaps a tier higher. But any trade for Frankie Montas, Tyler Mahle or Luis Castillo has always been unlikely, especially with both Matz and Flaherty set to come back for the second half of the season.

But if Matz performs like the pitcher that the Cardinals expected when they signed him to a four-year contract, it would transform their rotation. It’d give them an established veteran who has playoff experience and give them a solid trio atop the rotation with Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright.

Pair that with Flaherty’s return in August and a potential pitching addition or two … and the Cardinals pitching staff could have the depth that it sorely lacked for the last couple seasons.