Ken Rosenthal discusses Cardinals offseason, echoes fans' rotation concerns

The Cardinals' offseason was quite busy, as John Mozeliak went straight to work to fill the team's rotation.

Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson were added to bolster a broken-down rotation. While the additions aren't necessarily bad, the Gray signing is the only one that truly moves the needle for St. Louis, and even then, the rotation is not young by any stretch.

Steven Matz is the Cardinals' youngest starter, and he's turning 33 in May, which raises even more concerns.

On Thursday, Jim Hayes of Bally Sports Midwest got a chance to talk with Ken Rosenthal about the Cardinals' offseason and whether or not it was enough to bounce back. Rosenthal echoed the concerns of many Cardinals fans.

"My instinct is to say 'no,' that those three guys are fine, but I would have liked to have seen them get a top-of-the-rotation guy, a pure top-of-the-rotation guy," said Rosenthal. "You could argue Sonny Gray is that. He certainly had a great year last year, but perfect world, maybe (Jordan) Montgomery who's not necessarily top-of-the-rotation, but someone who's in his prime at least."

Rosenthal expresses concern over Cards' aging rotation

Clearly, Rosenthal is just as concerned as the rest of us are about the rotation. It's not a young rotation by any means.

"That's my concern here," Rosenthal continued. "These are older guys. They are pitchers who throw a lot of innings. That's good. They have a track record of doing that, at least Gibson and Lynn do for sure, but I don't know that it's enough."

Rosenthal acknowledged that the Cardinals have some young pitchers who may be ready to take the next step soon, but it's fair to point out that these guys may not be ready just yet.

If there's one major weakness with this year's team, it's the rotation, just like last year. While I think it's a much better rotation than last year, I'm still concerned.

I've been saying that I think the Cardinals are favorites to win the NL Central. But I'm less certain now that the Cubs have re-signed Cody Bellinger. When I look at the rosters of the Cardinals, Cubs, and Reds, it's clear which team's rotation is the weakest. (Hint, it's not the Cubs or Reds)

That doesn't mean the Cardinals can't still win the Central, but Rosenthal brings up a lot of fair points. The Cardinals would have been better off trying to add at least one younger starter.

Perhaps they're not done just yet, as Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are both still free agents, and a trade is always possible. But Gibson and Lynn don't bring certainty to a rotation that desperately needs it.