3 MLB teams with plenty of work left to do this offseason

By Kevin Henry | Dec 11, 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Kenley Jansen #74 is greeted by manager Dave Roberts #30 and first base coach George Lombard #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after earning a save against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on April 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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Aug 28, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Edmundo Sosa (63) warms up in the outfield before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

MLB offseason: The St. Louis Cardinals have pitching needs and could upgrade at shortstop

St. Louis is one of those teams that signed a free agent starting pitcher before the lockout, inking southpaw Steven Matz to a four-year deal. Now the question becomes what else will the Cardinals do to boost the back end of a rotation that was held together in 2021 by signing veterans like J.A. Happ, Wade LeBlanc, and Jon Lester and praying they could eat innings.

Matz will join a rotation that could include a combination of Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson, Johan Oviedo, Matthew Liberatore, Alex Reyes, and/or Jake Woodford. There are plenty of questions in that group about what they can contribute in 2022. Having another reliable arm heading into the season to provide quality depth would alleviate some concerns about injuries that caused the Cardinals to sign stopgap veterans last season.

Another reliable starter would be a big boost for the Cardinals. The same could be said for the shortstop position, where Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has confidence in a bounce back season for Paul DeJong and another year of growth for Edmundo Sosa. Our own Robert Murray has reported that the Cardinals are likely out of the hunt for a high-priced shortstop like Trevor Story, but are there other options who could be a fit for the budget and upgrade the position? It’s possible, and something the Cardinals will likely keep an eye on once the offseason begins again.

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