Ranking the 4 remaining International pitching options for the Cardinals

The foreign free agent market has been extremely strong in 2023. Yoshinobu Yamamoto just signed the richest contract ever given to a starting pitcher at 12 years, $325 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Korean outfield Jung-Hoo Lee signed for 6 years, $113 million with the San Francisco Giants. Neither have any Major League experience, so these NL West rivals are taking a sizable risk in handing out mega deals to players who are yet unproven in American baseball.

However, the success rate of International players in Major League Baseball is higher than it ever has been. Kodai Senga, Ha-Seong Kim, Masataka Yoshida, and of course, Shohei Ohtani are all examples of great MLB players from overseas. When looking at Japan and Korea, teams need to be selective, but also realize how great players from those leagues can be even without Major League experience.

The Cardinals expressed interest in many of the International free agents at the start of the offseason. However, they missed on Yamamoto as his asking price became too high, and Yuki Matsui signed in San Diego after expressing interest in and meeting with the Cardinals. Fortunately, there's plenty of offseason to go and a few solid options for the Cardinals from both NPB and the KBO. Here are the four remaining pitching options ranked.

#4 - Naoyuki Uwasawa (NPB, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)

I'll keep it short with Uwasawa. He's not an option the Cardinals should look into at all. In 24 starts with the Fighters, he recorded a 2.96 ERA in 170 innings pitched. While the 2.96 number may look promising, Japan is amidst a dead-ball era in which pitchers have a sizable advantage over hitters and league-average ERA hovers around 3. Sure, he'll eat innings but the Cardinals already signed Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, two pitchers with much more certainty than Uwasawa. He'd be a good pitcher for a team to take a flyer on as their fifth starter or a depth-tier option, but the Cardinals do not need his services at all.

#3 - Shota Imanaga (NPB, Yokohama DeNA BayStars)

For much of the offseason, Shota Imanaga was viewed by many teams as a backup option for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Now that Yamamoto has signed at such a high pricepoint, teams are likely bidding more aggressively for Imanaga than they would have otherwise. Although the Cardinals showed great interest in Yamamoto at the start of free agency, they should not show the same interest in Imanaga.

There are a few clear warning signs with Imanaga that make me want the Cardinals to stay away from him. First, his ERA is not that much better than the league average. At 2.80, which is around an ERA+ of 110 in an inferior league, I'm not too excited about what Imanaga will bring to the Major Leagues. Moreover, his very impressive 10.6 K/9 was a dramatic spike from his career trends, leading me to believe he over-performed in a contract year.

Many are excited about Imanaga's impressive fastball, but in NPB, a league where high velocity isn't as commonplace as MLB, he won't stand out as much. His fastball will certainly be playable, but not of the same caliber as Shohei Ohtani or Roki Sasaki. While Miles Mikolas signed for 2 years, $15.5 million after posting better numbers than Imanaga at age 29, Imanaga is projected to receive a contract north of $80 million at age 30. That's just too big a risk for the Cardinals to take on a middling pitcher who might've hit his ceiling last season. There are so many other starters St. Louis can target that are cheaper than Imanaga with more proven ability in Major League Baseball.

#1 - Woo-Suk Go (KBO, LG Twins)

Unlike NPB, talent from the KBO has mostly been under the radar this offseason. It's puzzling why the Giants gave such a large contract to Jung Hoo Lee, as almost all Korean bats struggle in their first few seasons in MLB, but perhaps the "Grandson of the Wind" will adjust to Major League pitching faster than most.

One name that has gone almost completely overlooked is Woo-Suk Go, Jung Hoo Lee's brother-in-law and thus the "Grandson-in-law of the Wind." Go has been one of the premier relievers in the KBO since his age-22 season in 2021. He recorded a 2.17 ERA in 2021 with 30 saves and a 1.48 ERA in 2022 with 42 saves. He battled some injuries this past season, recording a 3.68 ERA and 1.364 WHIP, but his strikeout rate has steadily increased from 10.6 per 9 innings in 2021 to 12.1 in 2023.

At just 24 years old, Go should bounce back to his career norms next season if healthy, so the Cardinals shouldn't worry too much about a weaker performance in 2023. With elite strikeout rates in a contact-focused environment in Korea, Go should maintain similar swing-and-miss stuff in America making him one of the highest-ceiling options for the Cardinals out of the bullpen. They've been linked to some of the top bullpen names such as Josh Hader, but it's unlikely they'll meet his asking price. Between Woo-Suk Go, Phil Maton, Jordan Hicks, and other mid-tier relief options, Go might be the cheapest while also boasting the highest upside.

It's no guarantee Go's talents will translate well to MLB, but at a cheap and short-term contract, it's absolutely worth the risk for the Cardinals. The Cardinals already struck gold with Kwang Hyun Kim out of the KBO in 2020 and 2021. Like Kim, Go could prove to be an effective high-leverage asset out of the bullpen for many years to come.