The St. Louis Cardinals have pitching problems. Their team ERA ranks 25th in the majors so far this season. Changes must be made, but likely not one you would expect, per the latest MLB Rumors.
John Mozeliak has long expressed patience with the starting rotation. First, the blame was deflected to Willson Contreras, with some suggesting the loss of Yadier Molina had a much larger impact than some around the organization expected.
Yet, Contreras has been around league average defensively. He's worked hard on his pitch framing, even taking time off from behind home plate to meet the standards of the Cardinals coaching staff.
Eventually, St. Louis needs to stop blaming others and look in the mirror. The pitching staff they assembled isn't good enough. Adam Wainwright is in his final season. Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are likely on their way out as well by the trade deadline. Steven Matz has been a failure since he signed, and Jordan Montgomery just isn't who the Cards thought he was when they acquired him — a top-line starter.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals solution to pitching woes could be overseas
While the Cards are rumored to be interested in acquiring some starting pitching at the deadline, that is not their only avenue to improving the rotation. Per JapanBall's Yakyu CosmopolitanYokohama DeNA BayStars pitcher Shota Imanaga has caught John Mozeliak's eye. St. Louis is just one of many teams interested in Imanaga, who could be posted as early as next offseason.
Sports Illustrated summed up Imanaga's play in a brief scouting report:
"Imanaga is 29 years old and has shined for Yokohama in eight professional seasons. The lefty impressed in front of the big league clubs pitching a complete game while allowing just one earned run and striking out 10 batters. Imanaga has a career 2.96 ERA and hasn't pitched to an ERA above 3.00 in a season since 2020. At this point, there's no way for sure to know if Imanaga will be available this offseason, but the fact that seven clubs reportedly sent scouts to watch him play at least makes it seem as if there is a chance."
The Cards will revamp their staff eventually, and it will be a full-fledged effort. Imanaga could be but one step of that plan.