St. Louis Cardinals Roster
- NL Central
- Stadium
- Busch Stadium
The St. Louis Cardinals and left-hander Steven Matz agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal on Wednesday, according to a source. With incentives, the deal can be worth up to $48 million. The New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays were the other finalists for his services. The 30-year-old had a very nice bounce-back season in Toronto in 2021, posting a 3.82 ERA over 29 starts. The Cardinals reportedly lured Matz away from returning to the Mets by adding a fourth year to the deal. The southpaw will slot into a rotation that includes Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas. Matz excels by keeping the ball out of the air, featuring a 46.3 ground-ball rate in his bounce-back season for the Jays.
Free agent starting pitcher Steven Matz's market appears to be heating up, and he could be nearing a decision on where he'll spend the next few years of his career, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand notes a conclusion could come on Wednesday. The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Angels, and Mets are all among the teams that have expressed interest in the left-hander. Matz spent the first six seasons of his big-league career with the Mets before posting a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 144 strikeouts in 150 2/3 innings for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. He was not offered a qualifying offer, but he appears to be in line for a significant multi-year deal.
The Seattle Mariners have made several roster moves Thursday, adding minor league outfielders Julio Rodriguez and Alberto Rodriguez and left-handed pitcher Ray Kerr to their 40-man roster. They now have filled 39 spots. Julio Rodriguez is by far the biggest name of the three, and the move is intended to protect him and both other players from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Rodriguez could make an impact at the big-league level as soon as 2022, and general manager Jerry Dipoto has stated that there is "no scenario" in which Rodriguez (or several other top prospects) are moved this offseason. The 20-year-old slashed .347/.441/.560 with 13 homers and 21 steals in 74 games across two levels in 2021. Dynasty managers should already have him rostered.
Free-agent reliever T.J. McFarland is staying put after agreeing to a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday with a potential $500,000 in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The 32-year-old was productive out of the Cardinals bullpen last season, posting a 2.56 ERA with just 21 strikeouts and 15 holds over 38 2/3 innings. He was a nice piece in one of the better bullpens in the league last year, a group that posted a 3.97 ERA. McFarland should be given the same role going into next season, barring an injury. However, he doesn't offer fantasy managers much value, except in deep leagues that count holds.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ljay Newsome (elbow) was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners Friday. Newsome threw 30 1/3 innings in his Mariners career, working to a 6.53 ERA in 12 appearances and five starts. He is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. It is not expected that he will be ready to start the 2022 season, but he figures to be a depth option both in the bullpen and the starting rotation in St. Louis. Fantasy managers don't need to take note until midseason next year at the earliest.