Cardinals Could Sign Six-Time All-Star To Help Fill No. 5 Starter Spot

St. Louis could use some help in the rotation and one All-Star could make a lot of sense

Oct 1, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke (23) / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals need to go back to the drawing board.

St. Louis recently lost Steven Matz to an injury and attempted to fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation by moving Matthew Liberatore into the spot. Liberatore has bounced around between the rotation and bullpen throughout his young career but seemed to settle into a nice role in the bullpen this season.

While this is the case, the move to the rotation seems to have had a negative impact and he has struggled. Now, he is being moved back to the bullpen and the team is looking for a way to fill the last rotation spot, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.

It's unclear at this point what the Cardinals will do. An internal option is the likeliest outcome, but there still are a couple of external options that could help. One player who comes to mind is six-time All-Star Zack Greinke.

The future Hall of Famer is a free agent but is looking to continue his playing career, according to MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk.

"After 20 Major League seasons, Zack Greinke might not yet be ready to hang up his cleats, as the veteran right-hander has been working out at the (Arizona Diamondbacks’) extended Spring Training camp," Polishuk said. "As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes, this isn’t any indication of a contract between Greinke and the D’Backs, as the two sides are 'not believed to have had discussions about a reunion.'  Instead, the D’Backs have simply let Greinke work out at their facilities as a courtesy while he figures out the next step in his career."

Greinke may not be what he once was, but he is a veteran who could be signed for extremely cheap and he could help eat up innings while the Cardinals wait to see what will happen with Matz. At this point, there aren't too many options but Greinke could be one.

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