Cardinals $44 Million Veteran Predicted To Remain In St. Louis

Will the Cardinals bring the veteran back in 2025?

Mar 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a chance to have a tough 2025 season.

St. Louis has made it known that it wants to cut payroll and make changes. More likely than not, this will lead to some trades involving high-priced veterans and few free-agent pickups. It could be a tough year in St. Louis.

On the flip side, they could surprise some people like the New York Mets. The Mets were going to use the 2024 campaign to reset the team and make strategic, cheap pickups. Things have worked out for them, and they now are in the National League Championship Series.

The Cardinals are going to have to make plenty of tough decisions this winter, and FanSided's Zach Pressnell predicted that veteran pitcher Steven Matz will stick around with the club.

"There's a chance that the Cardinals could find a trade partner for the 33-year-old southpaw if there's another team that thinks they can turn his career back around," Pressnell said. "But Matz almost certainly won't be a piece of Chaim Bloom's future when Bloom takes over in 2026. St. Louis has Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Kyle Gibson, Andre Pallante, and a few top prospects that could fill out their rotation.

"Matz won't be a piece of the rotation if St. Louis is serious about winning, so they would be better off not letting him take up a roster spot. But (John Mozeliak) will likely not want to budge off of his free agent signing from a few seasons ago. He brought Matz back this year, and he will likely bring him back next year, though he doesn't deserve it."

Could Matz actually return in 2025? It makes sense. He still is on his four-year, $44 million deal and it may be tough to trade him after a tough year.

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