The St. Louis Cardinals are days away from spring training games kicking off and will be looking to bounce back from last year's season to forget.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak successfully addressed the main areas of concern this winter by landing three veteran starting pitchers along with some much-needed bullpen depth.
The rejuvenated rotation is comparable to last season's squad in terms of talent and some are worried that the latest additions won't be enough. However, the Cardinals don't appear worried as they pass on another logical depth option.
"Korean media are reporting free agent pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu has signed with his ex-Korean club Hanwha Eagles, but the Eagles are saying nothing has been finalized at the moment," Yonhap News' Jeeho Yoo reported Monday. "It seems inevitable, though, that Ryu will return to the Korean Baseball Organization."
Ryu missed most of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery but came back strong and appeared to have plenty left in the tank.
The 36-year-old posted a 3-3 record with a 3.46 ERA, 38-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .257 batting average against and 1.29 WHIP in 52 innings pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays after making his return late last season.
The Korean-born hurler was arguably the most underrated starting pitcher on the market this offseason and it's a shame to see St. Louis pass up on a proven talent that would have been relatively inexpensive -- given that he's now signing with an international league that likely doesn't have the capital to spend top dollar for him.
The Cardinals have missed multiple opportunities to add depth to their rotation this offseason and sadly, Ryu will be added to that list. Hopefully, this won't come back to haunt St. Louis in 2024.
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