Cardinals Could Ship Embattled Left-Hander To Giants In Potential Salary Dump

The Cardinals and Giants could link up for a trade.

Sep 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that is looking to cut payroll and focus on youth and player development instead of contending in 2025.

There are several players that could be on their way out as the Cardinals look to essentially rebuild and rip the Band-Aid off.

One player that could potentially be on the move is left-hander Steven Matz. He is due to make $11 million in 2025, which is the final year of his four-year, $44 million contract.

Matthew Postins of Sports Illustrated proposed the idea of the Cardinals linking up with the San Francisco Giants for a possible trade involving Matz.

"MLB Trade Rumors linked the Giants o the 33-year-old, along with the Texas Rangers, as teams that might be interested in making a deal for the veteran. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals are looking to move him in an effort to trim payroll," Postins wrote.

"The vet signed a four-year deal worth $44 million with the Cardinals in 2022 and he’s only been marginally effective. In three seasons he’s gone 10-12 with a 4.47 ERA in 52 games (34 starts), with 185 strikeouts and 57 walks in 197.1 innings."

Matz has been unable to stay healthy for the most part. He has missed significant chunks of each of the last three seasons due to injuries, though when healthy, he has pitched well out of the bullpen.

Perhaps a team like the Giants could see value in him as a reliever and use him in that role.

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