Days remain until the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training games begin, and they will be hoping to recover from their forgettable season from the previous year.
The Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, acquired three senior starting pitchers and some much-needed bullpen depth this winter, effectively addressing the major areas of concern.
The talent level of the revived rotation is similar to that of the team from previous season, and some are concerned that the newcomers may not be sufficient. The Cardinals pass on yet another sensible depth option, though, and don’t seem concerned.
According to Korean media, Hyun-Jin Ryu, a free agent pitcher, has signed with Hanwha Eagles, his former Korean team. However, the Eagles have stated that nothing is official as of yet, as reported by Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News on Monday. “It seems inevitable, though, that Ryu will return to the Korean Baseball Organization.”
After having Tommy John surgery, Ryu missed the most of 2023, but he returned strong and seemed to have plenty of energy left.
Following his comeback to the Toronto Blue Jays late in the previous season, 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.
Given that he’s now signing with an international league that probably lacks the funds to pay top dollar for him, it’s unfortunate that St. Louis passed up on a proven talent that would have been reasonably inexpensive. The Korean-born pitcher was perhaps the most underappreciated starting pitcher available this offseason.
Unfortunately, Ryu will be added to the list of players the Cardinals have passed over this offseason to deepen their rotation. I hope that in 2024, this won’t come back to haunt St. Louis.
