Absolutely no one was impressed when the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Jon Lester and J.A. Happ at the trade deadline. Both pitchers had been a disaster on their former teams, and were essentially seen as stopgap arms to fill out the rotation for the end of the year. There was no chance that either pitcher would be a viable part of a playoff caliber pitching staff.
As it turns out, the Cardinals knew something that no one else did. While Lester and Happ have not been the pitchers they were in their primes, both have been surprisingly effective, helping St. Louis to their utterly ridiculous run to charge into the postseason.
St. Louis Cardinals do it once again
Lester had appeared to be a bust after his first two outings in St. Louis as he allowed 11 runs on 15 hits and four walks over his first 10.1 innings. Then, whatever magic touch the Cardinals have with their pitchers came through, as he has been a vastly different pitcher. Since then, Lester has posted a 3.02 ERA and a 1.283 WHiP over his 50.2 innings, striking out 30 batters with 18 walks. While he has been prone to the home run ball, Lester has been able to limit the damage against him.
The same has held true for Happ. He was part of the Twins efforts to remake their pitching staff this offseason, signing a one year deal worth $8 million. Instead, he was an utter disaster, posting a 6.77 ERA and a 1.586 WHiP in his 98.1 innings before being sent to St. Louis.
As with Lester, everything changed once Happ came to St. Louis. He has produced a solid 4.00 ERA and a 1.278 WHiP over his 54 innings, striking out 45 batters with 17 walks. While he may not be an ace, he has been a solid piece in the back of the Cardinals rotation.
In the end, that is all the Cardinals really needed. They had to find a couple of arms that could fill out the back of the rotation, providing relatively worry free innings. Happ and Lester, despite having little expectation of success, have been exactly that.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been able to find value in pitchers no one expected much from. That has continued with J.A. Happ and Jon Lester.