The St. Louis Cardinals’ top priorities this winter are clear.
The team needs to find a catcher to replace Yadier Molina and a bat to replace Albert Pujols.
Pitching however, remains a bit of a mystery for the 11-time World Series champs.
Adam Wainwright has returned for one final season, but as of now, the only starting pitchers under team control for 2024 are Steven Matz and Dakota Hudson.
The Cards aren’t likely to target Carlos Rodon, Justin Verlander, or Jacob deGrom.
Ken Rosenthal provided an update on the state of the team’s pitching staff, noting that Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, and Miles Mikolas could all be gone after 2023, but that there is one pitcher that they could target.
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Cards Pitching Plans
Rosenthal mentioned veteran left-hander Jose Quintana as a potential target.
St. Louis acquired him at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Pirates to fill out a rotation that had been decimated by injuries.
Rosenthal notes that a source close to the team stated that the Cardinals would like to retain Quintana.
The Cardinals have made clear that they want to target pitchers with high strikeout rates, however.
Perhaps Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker, or Nathan Eovaldi could fit into their plans.
But keeping Quintana would be a good move for St. Louis.
The veteran lefty went 6-7 with a 2.93 ERA and started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
If Quintana ends up signing elsewhere, other options such as Andrew Heaney and former Cardinal Michael Wacha could present themselves.
NEXT: The Cardinals Continued A Brutal NL Central Trend In October
