It doesn't look like there will be much more activity this offseason by the Cardinals. The Cardinal ownership is saying that there isn't a lot of money available, but there are still some glaring needs. The biggest needs is pitching, both closing and starting pitching. The Cardinals could use Mott or Perez as closer. That wouldn't be ideal, but according to recent reports, that is what they are considering. What I'm most worried about is the rotation. If the season started today, this is what the rotation would look like.
#1 Adam Wainwright
Wainwright is a very good starter when he's healthy. He has had some recent health problems though. He should start of the season healthy, and it is critical for the Cardinals chances of winning that he stay healthy.
#2 Kyle Lohse
Throughout his career, Lohse has had his ups and downs. He has had some pretty bad seasons. Most of his career he has been a bottom of the rotation pitcher. His career ERA is 4.67, but his ERA last season was 3.78. The big question is whether that was a career year or if he can duplicate it this season and for the next few seasons that he is signed for. He will be a solid starter if he can do what he did last year, but that is the big question.
#3 Todd Wellemeyer
It is an even bigger question mark as to what Wellemeyer will do this season. His entire career he has been a bad reliever. In 2007 the Royals released him after posting an ERA over 10.00. The Cardinals were desperate for pitching, so they coveted a pitcher that even the Royals didn't want. Once coming to St. Louis he pitched good enough as a reliever that they converted him to a starter. Wellemeyer posted an ERA of 3.11as a Cardinal for the remainder of 2007. He showed that 2007 wasn't a fluke and he could be a good starter by posting an ERA of 3.71 in a full season as a starter. So, Wellemeyer has pitched well as a Cardinal, but it is still only a year and a half. Is that enough to consider him a born again starter? For the Cardinals sake it had better.
#4 open
#5 open
Candidates
Now this is the scary part, because there isn't much left after the top 3 starters.
Chris Carpenter - When Chris Carpenter is healthy then he is a true Ace. If I thought we could count on him, then he would have easily been the #1 pitcher. Unfortunately he cannot be counted on. Carp was supposed to be ready halfway through last year, but he never really could come back. We've been told that he "might" be ready for 2009, but nobody really knows for sure. Not even Chris or his doctors. It is also a question as to whether he will be a closer. I doubt that will happen, but it has been mentioned. Carpenter isn't reliable though, so he can't be counted on for the rotation.
Joel Pineiro - Now this is even scarier. Joel Pineiro hasn't been a good starter since 2003 when he was with the Mariners. In 2007 he showed showed flashes of his old self, but not enough. He posted an ERA of 3.96 as a Cardinal starter in 2007 so it gave the Cardinal faithful hopes that he would be a solid starter in 2008. Those hopes were dashed in 2008 though. He posted an ERA of 5.15 in 2008, so it looks like he had reverted back to the pitcher he has been for the last 5 seasons.
Mitchel Boggs - He is a young pitcher that made some starts in 2008, but they weren't very good starts. There is hope that Boggs can become a good pitcher, and he is still young. In 2008 he posted an ERA of 7.41 in 8 games, most of them being start
There isn't much left after these guys unless I'm missing someone . I sure hope I am, because the 2009 season looks bleak with this is all that's in the forcast for the Cardinals rotation. A lot has been made of the Cardinals bullpen issues. For good reason too, because there are plenty of holes invluding a dominant closer. The problem is the rotation is just as bad if not worse. At least the bullpen has some promising young relievers such as Perez and Motte. The Cardinals have fewer young Starting pitchers, and even fewer that are ready to be relied upon in the starting 5. The Cardinals need to go after the few starting pitchers that are left. They should have gone after pitchers like Redding and Penny, but I never even heard them mentioned as having interest in them. Perez, Looper and others should be looked at also, and hopefully the Cardinals will do something to fix this rotation. Another route for a starter is to trade an outfielder for one. The problem is that starting pitching is one of the hardest commodities to trade for. Everyone needs starting pitching and nobody wants to trade the good ones that they have. Will the Caridinals do something to fix this mess that they call a starting rotation? I sure hope that they do, but if they have been doing anything lately, then it is a huge secret.