While the St. Louis Cardinals are in need of a starting pitcher after the departure of Jose Quintana, it’s highly unlikely that they will be in on left-hander Carlos Rodon.
The Cardinals don’t typically spend big on pitchers, but even if they don’t land Rodon, they may still be in the mix for others.
Keeping Adam Wainwright around for one final season was a good move, but the team has run into trouble with pitchers such as Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz, both of whom struggled with various injuries
On Twitter, one fan proposed the idea of the Cardinals making a play for veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.
If Cardinals do happen to miss out on Carlos Rodon……
How about Nathan Eovaldi? pic.twitter.com/AoC7ggSBTf
— Cards Fan | Contreras SZN | Edwin Rios? C. Rodon? (@STLfan006457) December 12, 2022
How Eovaldi Fits With The Cards
Eovaldi was limited to 20 starts in 2022 due to injuries, but still had a productive season.
The 32-year-old went 6-3 and posted a 3.87 ERA.
The right-hander also struck out 103 batters in 109.1 innings of work.
The Cardinals had shown some interest in Eovaldi at the trade deadline, but ultimately settled for Quintana and left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
St. Louis has been adamant that they are seeking pitchers with swing-and-miss stuff.
The right-hander does have some of the swing-and-miss stuff that the Cardinals have been looking for in recent months.
Another thing of note is that the only two starters under contract for 2024 are Matz and Dakota Hudson.
Hudson had his struggles in 2022, posting a 4.45 ERA and losing his spot in the starting rotation.
As things stand right now, the Cardinals are going to have to fill at least three rotation spots for 2024.
Signing Eovaldi could help the Cardinals and give them a veteran presence in their starting rotation for a few years.
NEXT: Cardinals Celebrate 19 Years Of Adam Wainwright