Cardinals Rumors: Adam Wainwright is fighting for his life in the rotation
There's no guarantee that Adam Wainwright continues in the St. Louis rotation beyond his Thursday start against the lowly New York Mets. Waino's ERA is over eight, and it's been trending in the wrong direction for months. Still just a couple of decent starts away from the 200-win mark, it would be a shame if he fell just short.
Oli Marmol and Wainwright both know he cannot continue at this rate. Thankfully, facing the Mets shouldn't serve as much of a challenge if Wainwright is on his game.
Albert Pujols has been on Wainwright's mind, and not just because the two spent so much time together in the St. Louis clubhouse during their playing days. Waino wants to retire on his own terms, and without any regrets.
"It was a really good thing for me to see Albert retire last year," Wainwright said, per MLB.com. "He was so mentally ready for [retirement] and he had finished on such a high note that it was a great sendoff for him. He and I were sitting over there at his locker, and he wasn't crying or anything because he knew it was time."
After his last start, which once again ended in disappointment, Wainwright was surprisingly forthcoming about his future in St. Louis, and the rotation in general.
"I'm hesitant to admit it — and I've heard this from older guys who retired — but when you know you're done, you could lose an edge," Wainwright told The Athletic. "I was really resistant to that because I thought I would fight like crazy till the end. But I'm going to have to refocus and get real serious about ending strong because I don't want to go out like that. I mean, that's just embarrassing."
Thursday's start could very well determine if Wainwright has officially lost that edge. For his sake, were sure hope he can make it another month and change.
Cardinals Rumors: IL stint coming for Lars Nootbaar?
Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman both left Wednesday's game thanks to injuries sustained from foul balls. They'll undergo further testing, and an IL stint could be in order for one or both, especially given the Cards place in the standings. There's no point in risking the future of either player.
St. Louis is shorthanded, and may have to make a roster move to replace either in the lineup. If that's the case, the Cards have an outfield surplus that should cover Nootbaar. As for Edman, José Fermín would be the first line of defense as the backup shortstop.
Masyn Winn is the Cards top prospect and raking in Triple-A Memphis. However, he's not expected to make his MLB debut until 2024. John Mozeliak and the Cardinals front office may prefer he stays in Memphis this season rather than rushing him to fill a roster void that could be answered elsewhere.
Thomas Saggese, César Prieto or Noah Mendlinger could fill the infield void for now without risking the Cards future. As for outfield, expect St. Louis to stick with the likes of Jordan Walker and Tyler O'Neill on the corners. Moisés Gómez is playing outfield in Memphis and could represent an upgrade at the position while Nootbaar recovers.
Cardinals Rumors: How much does Logan Gilbert cost?
It's no secret that the Cardinals covet a pitcher like Logan Gilbert. They courted him at the trade deadline. But can they afford him?
FanGraphs rated Gilbert as the 33rd most valuable trade asset in baseball. With that in mind, it would likely cost the Cardinals quite a bit.
"Controllable pitching is really valuable. Good controllable pitching? Now we're cooking with gas. Gilbert is working on his third straight season of a mid-3.00s FIP, and he's durable to boot. I'm not sure he'll ever turn into a fire-breathing monster of an ace, but there's at least a chance of it. He's throwing a new hard slider and a new splitter this year, and they both look better than his previous set of secondaries. He's always had great command and a solid fastball; if the whole package gels, look out," FanGraphs' Ben Clemens wrote.
Seattle is a contending team, rather than one inclined to sell off assets. Gilbert is also performing well, and signed long-term on the cheap. Redbird Rants Josh Jacobs suggest a trade package centered around Brendan Donovan and some other assets may get the job done, but is that really worth it from the Cards perspective?
It's something worth thinking about as the offseason approaches.