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Three free agents who would be huge mistakes for the Cardinals to sign
The Cardinals need to avoid making bargain moves to strengthen their pitching staff. Here are three free agents that the Cardinals should stay away from.
As of now, there has not been much activity on the free agent market. There is a bevy of starters to choose from this winter in free agency, but the Cardinals must choose wisely.
They can no longer afford to sign guys to cheap bargain deals and hope to catch lightning in a bottle. Baseball doesn't work that way anymore. The Cardinals don't have any devil magic or miracles left in the tank.
This means it's going to take bold action. The Cardinals have to add at least two top-level starters and three starters in total in order to contend again.
With that being said, here are three free agents that it would be a mistake to sign.
1. Lance Lynn
Lance Lynn was once a fan favorite during his time with the Cardinals. He was a key piece of their bullpen when they won the World Series in 2011 and even helped guide them back to the World Series as a starter in 2013.
Not too long ago, he was the ace of the White Sox. But times have changed.
Lynn, 36, had a dreadful season with the White Sox and Dodgers. Though he slightly improved upon arriving in Los Angeles, he still had a 5.73 ERA during the regular season. He also surrendered four home runs in Game 3 of the NLDS as the Dodgers were eliminated by the Diamondbacks.
Bringing back Lynn would only be for sentimental value, and the Cardinals can't fall into that trap again.
2. Frankie Montas
Almost two years later, I still look back at the day the Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from the Athletics and breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that the Cardinals didn't try to trade for him, and as such dodged a bullet. John Mozeliak has made his fair share of mistakes. This was not one of them.
The biggest concern for Montas is his health. If he somehow can stay healthy and return to his 2022 form, then he might be a nice under-the-radar pickup. But as I've been saying, the Cardinals need certainty, someone they can rely on to stay healthy and take the ball every fifth day, and I don't think Montas is that guy.
The Yankees gave up a massive haul for him, only for him to get hurt at the end of the 2022 season, barely pitch in the playoffs, and miss almost the entire 2023 season.
At 30, Montas may already be starting to decline, and signing him would simply be a bargain move, with the Cardinals hoping that by some chance, he can discover his old form.
That's not something you can bank on at the moment. While Mozeliak didn't do enough to strengthen the rotation last offseason, injuries also played a role in the Cardinals' collapse. Adding Montas would be taking on a major injury risk. It would hardly be any different from them choosing to bring back Adam Wainwright last year despite obvious signs that age had finally caught up with him.
3. James Paxton
There was a time late this season when I believed James Paxton would be a good fit for the Cardinals as a middle-to-back-end rotation arm. After all, he seemed to have bounced back quite nicely from his injury-plagued 2022 season.
But like Montas, there is still a serious injury risk with Paxton. He was limited to just 19 starts this season and posted a 4.50 ERA. He is also 35 and not the ace he once was the Mariners all those years ago.
It is for this reason that the Cardinals should stay away from him. Again, like Montas, adding him would be banking on a lot, and he is far removed from his glory days in Seattle.
If there's one thing Paxton can bring, it's winning experience, much like Lynn. But all the experience in the world won't matter if he can't stay healthy and be the pitcher the Cardinals need him to be.
It's likely that the Cardinals will have to invest in one middle-to-back-end rotation arm, but Paxton isn't it. They'd be better served trying to sign Shota Imanaga from Japan or even exploring a reunion with Michael Wacha, who just became a free agent after the Padres declined his club options.
We've said it ad nauseam, and fans are obviously tired of hearing it. But the Cardinals need quality starting pitching, not guys that are trying to get their careers back on track. We'll just have to say what they can accomplish this winter.
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