Now that the Carlos Correa saga appears to have reached its end, the free agent market, and possibly even the trade market, may start moving again.
The starting pitcher’s market may be heating up.
Last night, the Miami Marlins inked veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto to a one-year contract.
This almost certainly means that Pablo Lopez or one of the Marlins starters, save for Sandy Alcantara, could be on the move soon.
This has led a St. Louis Cardinals fan to make a rather bold prediction on Twitter.
After the Cueto move was official, the fan tweeted “Welcome to St. Louis, Pablo Lopez!”
Johnny Cueto signs with the Marlins.
Welcome to St. Louis, Pablo Lopez!
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) January 10, 2023
While this is a bold prediction, it’s not exactly off the mark.
St. Louis has still yet to address their pitching issues.
They failed to do so in 2021 and 2022, which led to them needing some starters at the trade deadline.
Both Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz are coming off injury-plagued seasons and Adam Wainwright is also facing some question marks after a rough September.
But beyond that, of their current group of starters, only Matz is signed through 2024, at least for now.
This is where Lopez could come in handy for St. Louis.
The 26-year-old has drawn interest from the Cardinals in years past and is also not a free agent until 2025.
After letting Jose Quintana walk, St. Louis has a clear need for top starting pitching, and they certainly have the pieces to pull off a deal for Lopez should they explore that route.
They could still potentially scour the free agent market for starters as well, where former Cardinal Michael Wacha is still waiting to be signed, but a trade seems more likely.
NEXT: Cardinals Fan Makes Grim Prediction For 2023
T..J. McClure says
Jesus Lazardo would be a nice addition that would likely go to Memphis to start the year and be brought up at the trade deadline after we trade surplus players