What was expected has now become a reality.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who are well out of postseason contention, will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline.
The team’s offense has been their only strength this season.
The starting rotation and bullpen have performed poorly and are the main culprits for the hole the Cards find themselves in now.
Their pitching woes were not addressed in the offseason, despite them having several opportunities to add extra arms.
On Monday, John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball operations, confirmed that the team would be sellers at the deadline and that the focus from now until spring training will be adding arms for 2024.
Cardinals writer Jeff Jones recapped everything Mozeliak said on Twitter.
Full download from Mozeliak this afternoon, but highlights:
— Cabrera wanted higher leverage and a new opportunity, so here’s his chance
— They’re selling
— They intend to contend in 2024
— “Pitching pitching pitching” is the theme of the deadline— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) July 17, 2023
Clearly, the Cardinals have not had the season that they were expecting to have.
This was a team that was heavily favored to win a weak NL Central division and return to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.
However, they find themselves tied at the bottom with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a record of 41-53.
But while the Cardinals have already determined that 2023 is a lost cause, they made it clear that they intend to bounce right back into contention in 2024.
More than likely, Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, Chris Stratton, and Jordan Hicks will be on the move at the deadline as the Cardinals seek controllable pitching for 2024 and beyond.
All four are free agents at the end of the season.
As of now, St. Louis only has Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz under contract for next year in their rotation.
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