Ex-All-Star Hurler May Become Available; Should Cardinals Take Chance To Bolster Depth?

The Cardinals could use some help in the rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation hasn't gotten off to the start it had hoped for. 

St. Louis is 8-11 through the club's first 19 games of the 2023 season and starting pitching has been one of the team's biggest issues so far. The Cardinals have just one starting pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 in Jack Flaherty and the other four members have compiled ERAs over 4.80. Three pitchers even have ERAs over 6.00.

The Cardinals should have longtime hurler and former All-Star Adam Wainwright back on the mound in the near future but if the club considered an external option, one player who may become available in the near future is current Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner. 

"I don't know," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said about Bumgarner's role with the team moving forward. "I don't know. As we do with every situation after every start, we group up as a staff and then sit down with the front office and figure out what to do next.

"That's what we're gonna end up doing. The staff will sit down and figure out what's going to give us the best option in five days. We do the same thing after every start, and we'll do that again."

Bumgarner has struggled so far this season, but if he becomes available he may be worth considering for the Cardinals. The left-handed hurler is a four-time All-Star and has plenty of postseason experience and even a World Series Most Valuable Player for the San Francisco Giants at one point. 

The 33-year-old hasn't quite looked like himself so far this season and has compiled a 10.26 ERA in four starts, but could be a solid depth option on a World Series contender. He may need some time in the minor leagues to work off some of the rust, but if he's able to return to form could help out a club if the Diamondbacks decide to part ways. Bumgarner compiled a 4.88 ERA in 2022 and 4.67 in 2021. If the lefty could even get back to that level, he could help a club out of the back of the bullpen. 

There's no way for sure to know if Bumgarner even will become available, but he's someone to keep a close eye on. 

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