Is the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation still a concern?

The Cardinals have once again gotten off to a slow start. It's not nearly as bad as last year, but it is concerning for sure.

Last year, pitching, or lack thereof was the primary culprit, and this is what fans were worried about heading into the season, especially with Sonny Gray on the injured list for the first two weeks.

However, the pitching has been much better than expected, proving that John Mozeliak actually did a fairly decent job fixing a broken staff. Gray has been great, Lance Lynn has been better than expected, and Kyle Gibson appears to be on the right track.

This year, the offense is the concern.

Contrary to most, I was a little worried about the offense. The numbers the offense put up last year were not good, and people were distracted from that due to the pitching woes.

This year, the pitching has been the strength, mainly the bullpen. The rotation is also performing better than expected, but might there still be some concerns?

Is the Cardinals' rotation still a concern?

Given that it's performed far better than expected this year, I will agree that it is far less of a concern than it was last year or even entering this season. The offense is the primary concern right now.

However, it's still fair to wonder about the rotation. Yes, the Cardinals grabbed three starters, two of whom have performed great, and one that appears to be turning the corner. But the rotation is by no means a World Series-caliber rotation.

Gray has been as good as advertised, but two pitchers that fans expected more out of are Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas.

Entering his start on Tuesday night, Matz owned an ERA of 5.55, while Miles Mikolas comes into his start on Wednesday with a mark of 5.91. Mikolas was expected to be the team's No. 2 starter, but he is performing much like he did last year when he finished with a 4.78 ERA.

He and Matz could certainly get better, and it remains to be seen if they will improve. If they do, then the Cardinals' rotation should be just fine, and offense should be the focus. However, it's looking very much like they'll have to add an arm at the deadline if they can't improve, and it'll need to be a top-level starter or somebody who at least has high upside like Logan Gilbert or Bryce Miller.

Unfortunately, with all the pitching injuries so far, it might be hard to find the right guy. Asking prices will be higher with Shane Bieber out for the season. He was expected to be one of the most sought-after pitchers at the deadline, but that has obviously changed.

At this point, the market hasn't materialized, and it won't until the end of June at the earliest. But even with the pitching performing better than expected, it isn't something that should be swept under the rug with Mikolas and Matz both struggling. It is still a concern, though not as bad as last year.