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.

Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three
Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three | Norm Hall/GettyImages
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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.

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.

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