4 Cardinals the fans have already lost patience with

Steven Matz

Finally, we have a player who has not been mired in controversy to start the season!

Instead, fans are losing patience with Matz because of his inability to consistently get outs in games. After a relatively successful but inconsistent six-year tenure in New York as a member of the Mets, Matz spent one (solid) season in Toronto before joining the Cardinals prior to 2022.

Last year, he battled through inconsistent results and frequent injuries, limping to the finish line with a 5.25 ERA and 74 ERA+. At one point, he was even demoted to the bullpen for the first time in his career. Fans were undoubtedly hoping for a turnaround from the southpaw, but things seem to be getting worse rather than getting better.

So far this year, the 31-year-old has made eight starts and has surrendered 26 earned runs in just 41.2 innings of work, good for a 5.62 ERA and 4.93 FIP. He has struggled mightily with keeping runners off the bases, as his walks, home runs, and hits per nine innings have all gone up across the board.

What further complicates Matz and his situation is the fact that he's still under contract for quite some time. He was signed last year to a four-year deal that will not see him become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2025 season. Any hopes of him moving on from the Cardinals would result in the club eating a ton of salary or having to throw a top-shelf player into any type of salary dump trade.