STL Cardinals Rumors: Michael Wacha return proposed
The Cardinals have high hopes for free agency when it comes to enticing top-tier pitching to St. Louis. Michael Wacha wouldn't be a name at the very top of the list, but he's looking like a very strong backup option.
The 31-year-old came up with the Cardinals a decade ago, even picking up an All-Star nod in 2015. In seven years in St. Louis, he had an ERA of 3.91 and a record of 59-39. However, at the tail end of his tenure, he was moved into the bullpen and ultimately left in free agency to join the Mets.
It certainly didn't go great with the Mets in 2020 and then the Rays in 2021. But he's recently regained some form. After posting an 11-2 record last year with the Red Sox, he's got his ERA down to 2.63 with a 10-2 record for the Padres. His WHIP is down at 1.073.
Wacha will be back on the free agent market after this season and a reunion should at least be explored. As Mark Powell of FanSided pointed out, Wacha's strikeout production "has been lacking in the St. Louis rotation for quite some time."
STL Cardinals Rumors: Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the radar
According to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, almost a dozen MLB teams sent scouts to watch Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto make his latest start for the Orox Buffaloes in the NPB. The Cardinals were among them.
Yamamoto is expected to be posted this year, triggering a bidding war for the star pitcher.
Since the Cardinals are in the market for pitching, they're an obvious suitor for the 25-year-old ace who has won the highest honors in Japanese baseball already. He's a five-time NPB All-Star, two-time Pacific League MVP and two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award given to the top pitcher in Japan.
On Wednesday, Yamamoto gave the scouts a show with seven scoreless innings to whet the appetite for his services. In his NPB career, he has an ERA of 1.87 and a 66-28 record, so Wednesday's outing was par for the course.
So who else was scoping out Yamamoto? The Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees.
Competition will be fierce for this international prospect and the Cardinals should be in the thick of it.
STL Cardinals Rumors: Is No. 2 prospect Tink Hence ready to contribute?
So, it's very clear the Cardinals are going to pursue pitching signings this offseason, but what about looking at what's within? What prospects can St. Louis turn to in the rotation next year?
That's the question Josh Jacobs of RedBird Rants pondered this week. That's also why the subject of Tink Hence came up.
Hence is the No. 2 prospect in the Cardinals' system behind infielder Masyn Winn. He's made it to Double-A ball this year but he had some struggles, posting a 6.54 ERA and a 2-3 record.
Jacobs sees St. Louis being patient with Hence instead of trying to rush him into the rotation in 2024.
"This isn't to say that Hence couldn't show up in St. Louis in 2024. If all goes well, he could receive a call late into the year as another rotation option, or more likely a bullpen piece. 2025 feels like the year when Hence will really have an opportunity to fight for a rotation spot," Jacobs wrote.
So that's a bit of cold water on the idea that Hence will be ready to roll next season, but it's also a fair assessment. Rushing a prospect is never an ideal approach.
