5 free agent pitchers the Cardinals should be contacting

With several notable free-agent starting pitchers still available, seeing who signs just before Spring Training kicks off will be fun. John Mozeliak, president of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball operations, has said he is still trying to improve the team. And his motto for the offseason was to get "pitching, pitching, pitching."

The additions of Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson are great. Add this trio to Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Zack Thompson, and Matthew Liberatore; you still have some concerns about the rotation. Lynn, Mikolas, Liberatore, and Matz have all had their injury concerns.

Pitching disasters involving injuries have plagued the Cardinals for multiple seasons. Mozeliak should address the potential problem head-on. Don't settle for three free-agent arms when free-agency options are still available. Mozeliak could make a deal for a starting pitcher by trading from the club's prospect pool.

Mozeliak promised to improve this team, and it will need all the help it can get with Oli Marmol still managing. The new bullpen additions are excellent, but you don't want the problems of past seasons where the bullpen gets overused because the rotation is struggling.

More pitching options with guys that can throw strikes will be essential for Marmol and the Cardinals, and while getting more starters would be great, other high-leverage capable relievers would also be great.

Blake Snell is still available to the Cardinals in free agency

While he is a client of Scott Boras, it's surprising that Snell is still available on the free-agent market. Last season's NL Cy Young Award winner is arguably the best remaining free agent pitcher market and should garner a nice payday. He should lead a team's starting rotation for several seasons. But what team will that be, and why not the Cardinals?

He's 31 and technically a bit young for a Cardinals pitcher. But he is a two-time Cy Young Award winner, so you should give him a shot. Last season, Snell was 14-9 for the San Diego Padres. He pitched 180 innings over 32 starts. He threw a career beset 234 strikeouts. That's amazing and just more than what you want in a pitcher.

He is the top remaining starting pitcher to get. He's likely outside of the Cardinals' price range, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't at least kick the tires on him. He is exactly what the Cardinals need.

Jordan Montgomery is still available to the Cardinals in free agency

Sure, the Cardinals traded Montgomery to the Texas Rangers, and he became an integral part of their World Series Championship. That's why he needs to come back! No, but he was one of the more successful pitchers for the Cardinals during his time with the team, which amounted to an entire season.

Montgomery had an overall record of 12-12 with a 3.31 ERA in 32 games with the Cardinals. He is familiar with the Cardinal Way and would have to be excited to return to a club where he had some success with a more experienced pitching staff he can work alongside. Plus, Yadier Molina is going to be around more. Molina will work with Willson Contreras and get these two working correctly together.

Montgomery has indicated he would like to come back to St. Louis. He was a fan favorite. Monty and Mo can make a deal that benefits both sides.

Phil Maton is available to the Cardinals in free agency

There was some reported interest between Maton and the Cardinals earlier in the offseason. Hopefully, this is a deal the two sides can come to, as the team could benefit from him joining the bullpen.

Maton appeared in 68 games last season for the Houston Astros, going 4-3 and finishing seven games with one save. He had a 3.00 ERA over 66 innings, striking out 74 batters. He had an impressive 2.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That would be a welcome statistic for the higher-leverage arms in the Cardinals bullpen.

The bullpen needs just as much help as the rotation. The pen was taxed last season, so an arm like Maton would be welcome.