St. Louis Cardinals Roster
- NL Central
- Stadium
- Busch Stadium
The St. Louis Cardinals have made teams interested in adding starting pitching this offseason aware that left-hander Steven Matz is available via trade, according to sources. Matz signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Cardinals before the 2022 season. It comes after St. Louis has already added right-handers Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to their starting rotation via free agency this offseason. The Cardinals are also interested in Japanese starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, so moving Matz would free up a spot for him. The 32-year-old southpaw was better in 2023 than he was in his first year in St. Louis, going 4-7 with a 3.86 ERA (3.75 FIP) and 1.33 WHIP with 32 walks and 98 strikeouts in 105 innings over 25 outings (17 starts).
Free-agent right-hander Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals are finalizing a three-year, $75 million deal on Monday, according to sources. Because Gray was given a qualifying offer from the Minnesota Twins, the Cardinals will have to give up a draft pick and international bonus pool money to land Gray on the open market. Still, for a team in desperate need of starters going into next season, landing the 34-year-old Cy Young runner-up in the American League in 2023 is worth it. Gray posted a strong 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 183 strikeouts and 55 walks in 184 innings for the Twins this past season and should have a good chance to put up similar numbers in the National League Central in 2024. He joins Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn as recent additions to St. Louis' starting staff this offseason.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Tuesday that they re-signed right-handed reliever Wilking Rodriguez (shoulder) to a minor-league deal that includes a non-roster invitation to spring training next year. Rodriguez, 33, will return to the organization in 2024 to give them more relief depth. He has not appeared in the major leagues since pitching two innings out of the bullpen for the Kansas City Royals in 2014. The Venezuelan hurler only went 5 2/3 relief innings over seven appearances out of the bullpen for Triple-A Memphis in 2023 before undergoing arthroscopic right-shoulder surgery in May. Rodriguez should be fully recovered for the start of spring training.
Free-agent right-hander Kyle Gibson has agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday that also includes a team option for 2025, according to sources. It's no secret that the Cardinals are desperate for starting arms this offseason, and they've now added a starting pitcher for the second straight day after reuniting with veteran Lance Lynn on Monday. The 36-year-old Gibson went 15-9 for the Baltimore Orioles in 2023 on a one-year deal with a 4.73 ERA (4.13 FIP) and 1.32 WHIP while walking 55 and striking out 157 in 192 innings over 33 starts. Gibson will get away from the difficult American League East and will now join the National League Central after allowing a league-high 198 hits in 2023.
The St. Louis Cardinals and free-agent pitcher Lance Lynn have agreed to a one-year deal that will bring the veteran back to where his career began. Lynn had an $18 million club option declined by the Dodgers two weeks ago but will earn around $10 million for the 2024 season, while his new deal comes with an unspecified club option for the 2025 campaign. It was a struggle for Lynn in 2023, as the 36-year-old limped to a 5.73 ERA across 32 starts between the Dodgers and White Sox. However, he did improve with a trade-deadline move to L.A., where he worked to a 4.36 ERA in 11 outings on the west coast while his season-long 4.33 SIERA suggests he was better than his surface ERA implies. He is likely one of numerous free-agent pitchers added by the Cardinals this winter.
