STL Cardinals Rumors: Yoshinobu Yamamoto could help Cards, but will cost a ton

The worst-kept secret in baseball is the St. Louis Cardinals direly need pitching as they retool for the 2024 season. And one of the hottest names on the market could be 25-year-old Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto is expected to be posted for MLB teams to sign by the Orix Buffaloes this offseason. After news about his expected posting, he then went on to throw a no-hitter in front of 29 MLB scouts, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who also said a possible contract for the Japanese star pitcher could be $160 million, while many think it could exceed $200 million,

In his 2023 campaign with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, Yamamoto holds a record of 14-6 in 21 games with an ERA of 1.32 in 150 innings pitched, which includes two complete games with one complete game shutout. Yamamoto is now starting to receive more hype than Masahiro Tanaka received before coming to MLB and signing a seven-year, $155 million contract.

In his whole career, Yamamoto has pitched in 186 games and holds a career ERA of just 1.75 while pitching in 953.2 innings.

There have been some rumors about possible teams that he could sign with, one of which has been the Cardinals, who could be deeply involved in talks of signing him this offseason with the loss of many players and the potential to sign one of the best Japanese pitchers ever. The question will be if John Mozeliak is willing to go that all-in financially to get him given the huge projected cost.

STL Cardinals Rumors: Adam Wainwright's final chase for 200 wins

Adam Wainwright has decided to retire after the 2023 season. With only a few games left in this campaign, Wainwright needs just one more win to secure the elusive 200th game of his long-tenured career.

After starting the season with a 3-1 record and getting to 198 wins, Wainwright went on to pitch 11 straight games without a win, dropping his record to a saddening 3-11. On Sept. 12, he was able to finally secure No. 199 after beating the Baltimore Orioles, throwing five innings and giving up two runs with the team winning 5-2.

Now comes the final countdown -- and a race against the calendar -- to his 200th career win.

According to Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, Wainwright might only have three starts left, Monday, Sept. 18 versus the Milwaukee Brewers, then potentially on the 22nd versus the San Diego Padres, and finally the 29th versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Two of these opponents are still in the midst of a playoff run, which could lead to hard games, but if anyone can do it, it is Adam Wainwright. And every Cardinals fan wants to see the franchise legend hit that milestone.

STL Cardinals Rumors: Top prospect's stock on the decline in 2023

Tink Hence was a second-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. To begin the 2023 season, he was ranked as the 77th-best overall prospect by MLB. He has since risen to 42nd by MLB Prospect rankings. On the field, though, Hence has struggled massively.

Hence has played in 23 games in 2023. While he thrived at High-A with the Peoria Chiefs with an ERA of 2.81, he has struggled, giving up many runs once promoted to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals with an ERA of 5.47.

In High-A, Hence threw 664 pitches, 422 of which were called strikes, meaning he threw a strike 63.55 percent of the time. But at Double-A, over 928 pitches, he has thrown a strike 60.52 percent of the time. This shows he has either not been finding the zone the best or he has been starting to get more hesitant to throw strikes.

He held a FIP of just 3.48 with an ERA of 2.81 with Peoria, but since joining Springfield, he has been pitching terribly with a FIP of 4.98 and ERA of 5.47. He has been throwing fewer strikes, leading to fewer strikeouts and more walks, as well as his pitches have been getting hit harder with a HR/9 Innings at a career-high of 1.33 and a BABIP of .338.

As the Cardinals search for pitching to rebuild the rotation for the future, Hence has work to do to ensure he's part of those plans.