As the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff begins to ramp up at spring training, fans can be hopeful that this upcoming season will have a different outcome.
This time last year, the Cardinals rotation looked very different and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is looking forward to seeing how the rejuvenated arsenal performs.
Since successfully retooling the rotation with three veteran starters, St. Louis has been inactive in the starting pitching market and has passed on a golden opportunity to add depth for the future.
The latest missed opportunity comes at the hands of the division rival Milwaukee Brewers, who reportedly landed a two-year deal with right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff -- according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
Woodruff was non-tendered this offseason by Milwaukee and is expected to miss all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery.
The 30-year-old ace went 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA, 74-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .172 batting average against and a 0.82 WHIP in 67 innings across 11 starts before the injury last season.
The Cardinals had a rare chance to secure a top-tier starting pitcher for 2025 by signing Woodruff to a two-year contract that could have been spread out in a cost-effective agreement -- one season to rehab and the other to pitch.
With former American League Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray being locked in for the next three seasons, it would have been wise to land Woodruff as an investment for the future. A starting pitching duo of Gray and a healthy Woodruff would have been a deadly combination.
Hopefully, the Cardinals' lack of involvement in the starting pitching market since replenishing the rotation won't come back to bite them in the future.
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