Because the Cardinals look to trim payroll and shift in direction of specializing in younger gamers in 2025, they’ve broadly been anticipated to look to commerce a lot of their dearer, veteran gamers. It appears as if that received’t come to cross with Willson Contreras and Sonny Grey, each of whom appear unlikely to waive their no-trade clauses to facilitate a transfer elsewhere. Third baseman Nolan Arenado is seemingly open to a transfer, nonetheless, although his personal no-trade safety implies that he would want to approve of any deal as effectively. One veteran participant who lacks no-trade safety, nonetheless, is southpaw Steven Matz. That might go away the Cardinals motivated to half with him this winter, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Submit-Dispatch means that the membership plans to “area curiosity” on each Matz and nearer Ryan Helsley this winter.
MLBTR’s Anthony Franco mentioned Helsley’s commerce candidacy earlier this month, and former reporting from Goold recommended that the Cardinals determine to set a excessive asking worth for his or her nearer. In contrast, Matz figures to be a extra reasonably priced participant for groups to accumulate who the Cardinals determine to be extra motivated to maneuver. The 33-year-old is coming into the ultimate yr of his contract in 2025 and is due $12.5MM for subsequent season. By offloading Matz’s contract, St. Louis’s payroll projection for subsequent yr (courtesy of RosterResource) would drop from just below $147MM to only $134MM. After the membership spent $183MM on payroll in 2024, that sort of drop off needs to be greater than sufficient to perform their aim of reallocating funds away from payroll into their participant improvement equipment, and will even open the door to the membership making some modest upgrades in free company, whether or not that be a reunion with veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson or bringing a brand new arm into the group.
Whereas the Cardinals would absolutely like to dump the ultimate yr of Matz’s contract, that could be simpler stated than completed. The lefty has had an up-and-down tenure with St. Louis since signing with the membership previous to the 2022 season. He’s struggled with accidents and ineffectiveness all through his time there, totaling simply 197 1/3 innings of labor throughout that point. Of his 52 appearances with the Cardinals, he’s began 34 whereas pitching out of the bullpen for 18.
His outcomes have been roughly league common total when he’s been wholesome sufficient to take the mound, with a 4.47 ERA (95 ERA+), a 4.01 FIP, and a 21.9% strikeout fee. That manufacturing has been considerably unsteady, nonetheless, with most of it coming throughout his mostly-healthy 2023 season. That yr, Matz posted a 3.84 ERA (114 ERA+) with a 3.75 FIP in 105 innings of labor. That strong work is sandwiched between two campaigns that noticed him publish an ERA north of 5.00. That features this previous season, the place Matz struggled to a 5.08 ERA with an identical 4.88 FIP in 44 1/3 innings. He struck out simply 17.4% of opponents this previous yr whereas posting a 7.9% stroll fee that was his worst since 2018.
That’s not a very attractive physique of labor for potential commerce companions, although that doesn’t imply Matz is unattainable to commerce. Notably, Matz has pitched considerably higher in his aid outings with the Cardinals than he has throughout his time within the rotation. In 163 frames for the membership as a starter, Matz has posted a 4.91 ERA. In the meantime, his 33 1/3 innings as a member of the bullpen noticed him publish a way more intriguing 2.43 ERA. Whereas the lefty’s total outcomes and sturdiness as a member of the rotation go away his contract with little if any surplus worth, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a membership intrigued by his work out of the bullpen purchase him to behave as a flexible reliever able to moving into the rotation if vital. It’s a job some pitchers akin to Nick Martinez, Jakob Junis, Spencer Turnbull, and Michael Lorenzen have discovered success with lately, and a crew that values that kind of flexibility on their pitching employees just like the Giants or Rangers may very well be a great match for the lefty’s providers.
