LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 06: Yadier Molina #4 talks to T.J. McFarland #62 as Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the National League Wild Card Game at Dodger Stadium on October 06 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Now that the lockout has ended and April 7 is set as opening day, teams will begin making a frenzy of moves in the coming days to round out their rosters.
Now that the MLB lockout is over, teams can begin filling out their rosters in preparation for the new seasons.
The St. Louis Cardinals are primed and ready to have a successful season, but they do have a variety of needs they need to fill including relief pitching and bench needs.
The St. Louis Cardinals are loaded with Nolan Arenado, Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman, and Paul Goldschmidt returning to man the infield, with Yadier Molina returning for what may be the last in his storied career with the Cardinals. Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson power a young, athletic outfield.
While many of these players could be the designated hitter for a specific game, it will be nice for new manager Oliver Marmol to have many versatile options to plug and play at positions or DH as the team will not likely get one man for designated hitting purposes.
The rotation was rounded out prior to the lockout and is slated to include a healthy Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Steven Matz, Dakota Hudson, and Miles Mikolas.
The bullpen will still need some work as it includes T.J. McFarland, Ryan Helsley, Alex Reyes, Jordan Hicks, Genesis Cabrera, and Giovany Gallegos. The team is said to be looking for two more relievers.
Let’s take a look at three options should sign now that the lockout has ended.