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St. Louis Cardinals: 3 free agents not worth getting into a bidding war over
The Cardinals will have a bevy of options to choose from in free agency when they search for starters. But these three free agent pitchers are not worth getting into a bidding war over.
The Cardinals should be prepared to open up the checkbooks this winter in order to prevent the ugly 2023 season from repeating itself.
It's no secret what the Cardinals need to do. It's time for ownership and the front office to spend big on top free-agent pitchers. Most, if not all of the top-level starters are pitchers that the Cardinals should absolutely pursue.
Contrary to popular belief, there may actually be a way for St. Louis to add all their starters via free agency. There will be some pitchers that could be had on shorter-term deals, provided that the Cardinals sign at least two frontline pitchers.
But there are a few options on the free agent market that the Cardinals may want to stay away from.
Here are three free-agent starters that the Cards should not get into bidding wars with other teams over.
1. Lance Lynn
Around the trade deadline, the Cardinals were showing some interest in a familiar face.
Lance Lynn was on the trading block while the White Sox were struggling. He ultimately wanted to go to a contending team, which the Cardinals were not this year. It was the Dodgers who acquired him from the South Siders.
While Lynn does have strikeout stuff and doesn't walk too many batters, he is far from the pitcher he was in 2021 when he was the ace of the White Sox. This year, he won 13 games but posted a 5.73 ERA in 32 starts.
He also will be turning 37 in May next year. He'll certainly garner some interest from teams, assuming the Dodgers decline his club option, but Lynn is not the one who is going to solve the Cardinals' pitching issues and isn't worth getting into a bidding war over.
2. Shohei Ohtani
I'm sure that fans won't want to hear this. Not that there was ever going to be a chance the Cardinals would sign Ohtani, but he is yet another free agent not worth getting into a bidding war over.
Obviously, he can't pitch due to Tommy John surgery, which will hurt his market quite a bit. He actually could help out the offense, given that he'll likely still be able to hit.
But even so, the Cardinals have far too many hitters on their roster and not enough pitchers. I know Ohtani is also a pitcher, but he wouldn't be able to pitch until at least 2025. Besides, the Cardinals already have Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar, Willson Contreras, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Tommy Edman, and Brendan Donovan, which makes for a pretty deep lineup.
The offense wasn't great this year, but there just isn't a spot for Ohtani on the current roster. I do believe that Gorman, Donovan, Nootbaar, Walker, and even Masyn Winn are going to take steps forward in 2024.
To me, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to get into a bidding war for Ohtani, especially when there isn't really a fit for him and he's unable to pitch. Plus, this is his second Tommy John surgery.
Should the Cardinals trade one of their young bats for a pitcher however, then it might make sense to inquire about him to fill the role of designated hitter and then have him ready to pitch again by 2025.
3. Michael Lorenzen
Lorenzen had a mostly solid 2023 season, becoming an All-Star for the first time in his professional career. After the Tigers traded him to the Phillies however, he began to taper off just a bit.
In 11 appearances with the Phillies, Lorenzen was 4-2, but had an ERA of 5.51 and ultimately was moved to the bullpen for the postseason.
His final ERA for the season wasn't too bad, sitting at 4.18 by the end of the season. He won't be as highly sought-after as somebody like Aaron Nola or Sonny Gray, but teams will certainly be interested.
Since he is not really a top-level guy and never has been, I don't think it would make sense for the Cardinals to get into a bidding war for him. His strikeout numbers were also slightly down this year, as he averaged 6.5 per nine innings as opposed to 7.8 per nine last year.
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He's certainly serviceable and could be somebody worth taking a look at, but if other teams bid high for him and the sweepstakes get too competitive, the Cardinals might be best served focusing on acquiring a pitcher via trade.