The Cardinals should prioritize signing Michael Wacha this offseason
Yesterday at 09:00 AM
The Cardinals have been eliminated from the playoff picture. They can't finish below .500 now, which is a step in the right direction, but it's not enough to consider this season a success.
Last offseason, the focus was on pitching. This year, there should be a focus on both pitching and offense. I would say that the pitching has mostly held up its end of the bargain, but it's still an area I feel the Cardinals should address.
While Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn did mostly well, I was still underwhelmed by those additions last offseason, and I think most of the fanbase was too. It is for this reason that I believe the Cardinals should decline the options for both starters.
But wait, doesn't that leave more holes in the Cardinals rotation? Yes, it does. But they can fill one of those holes with someone better. Enter former Cardinal Michael Wacha.
Since his 2022 season with the Red Sox, Wacha has looked much more like the pitcher the Cardinals thought they had after he had earned 2013 NLCS MVP honors. I wrote last week about how if the Cardinals had signed Wacha and Seth Lugo instead of Gibson and Lynn, their rotation could truly be a force right now.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. No, the Cardinals are not going to sign Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, or Max Fried. I would love nothing more, but it's just not happening.
Wacha, however, could be just as impactful and come at about half the price. The 33-year-old is 13-8 in 29 starts with a respectable 3.35 ERA and he's somebody that could truly profile as a No. 2 starter if signed.
This is what St. Louis needs in order to be a true contender again. Yes, I know there are other deeply rooted issues within the organization, such as player development, as Bernie Miklasz has pointed out. But this is somebody that could legitimately help the team.
I actually think I would prefer signing Wacha over Shane Bieber. Even though Bieber will be less expensive due to his injury, that injury is going to keep him out for a good portion of the 2025 season. Wacha should be ready to go right away in 2025, barring an injury of his own.
I know it's not a sexy move, but we as fans are going to have to lower our expectations a little. It's going to be a while before the Cardinals are World Series contenders again. But they can still make solid moves like this that can get them closer, while also tackling other important issues with the organization.
