From the lineup to the pitching staff, the Cardinals need to address their lefty options
As the St. Louis Cardinals continue to push towards the postseason despite the lack of effort put into the acquiring talent for the Major League roster, there are still some holes that need to be addressed. If you go to the Cardinals roster page right now, you will see an interesting configuration of positions and handedness.
Currently, the Cardinals have three catchers and two outfielders on the active roster along with nine infielders. Of course, that does not include Alec Burleson and Garrett Hampson as outfielders, along with utility man Brendan Donovan being able to fill a spot in the grass. Of the current roster, five of these players are left-handed batters and four of them are everyday players with Nolan Gorman looking to potentially become one. With Jordan Walker on the shelf, the outfield alignment is almost always lefty-heavy, unless everyone’s favorite Cardinal Hampson fills in out there.
The Cardinals have a plethora of lefty hitters and are lacking lefty pitchers
We hear every year that teams are looking for lefty bats at the Trade Deadline and the Cardinals look to be set on that side of the plate, at least by quantity. How’s the quality? Depends on what you’re looking for. Including last night’s debacle against Andrew Heaney, Cardinals lefties have combined to hit 38 homers compared to 49 from their righties. However, only eight of those lefty homers have been hit off of opposing lefty pitchers (shoutout Gorm on Sunday) and the Cardinals have a .358 slugging percentage against southpaws (21st in MLB) and a 91 WRC+ (15th) while also having the most plate appearances against lefties this season. I’m not sure what to make of that last stat because I don’t feel as if teams are intentionally setting up their rotations to have lefties on the mound, but it does make a manager’s job a little easier to manage the bullpen when you know there will likely be at least four lefties in the batting order. We have also seen opposing teams run out a lefty opener when facing St. Louis on multiple occasions.
So if they don’t hit for power, do they at least get on base? The Cardinals five left-handed batters are hitting a combined .259 on the season (8th in MLB), definitely inflated by Alec Burelson and Brendan Donovan each hitting .295, but their .401 slugging percentage ranks 14th in the game. These lefties have combined for 77 total hits against southpaws in 376 at-bats, good for a .205 batting average with a 74 WRC+ (both 20th in MLB). That becomes even more problematic when you factor in how often they face lefties, even if the righties in the lineup can mash against those pitchers. An issue is that all four or five of those left-handed hitters all deserve to be in the lineup most everyday and the bench or platoon options the Cardinals have do not have the same offensive prowess as the lefties.
The problem falls even beyond the major league roster as Jimmy Crooks, Matt Koperniak, Nathan Church, JJ Wetherholt, Michael Siani, Cesar Prieto, and Chase Davis also hit from the left side of the plate. These players are seemingly part of the next crop of talent to hit St. Louis and outside of Thomas Saggese, switch-hitter Leonardo Bernal, and Joshua Baez, the right-handed hitting talent is pretty thin. If and when Nolan Arenado is traded, Saggese or Gorman would likely take over the third base role. That’s a big question mark to put a premium position.
Because of this, I welcome the idea of discussing Koperniak, Church, or Siani in deals understanding that none of these three will bring back much in return. The Houston Astros are the worst team in the league when it comes to lefty hitters, hitting .199 with a .292 slugging percentage and a 60 WRC+. I would be open to dealing these guys for a righty power bat that can play the outfield, even if Walker comes back healthy and hitting. Luken Baker could be that player, but I personally feel we’ve seen enough of him to send him elsewhere and see if there’s anyone willing to take him on for a prospect swap. His lack of defensive ability also limits where he’d fit with this team, with Contreras and Burleson set at first base as well as taking at-bats as the designated hitter.
Okay so how about the pitching? The Cardinals lefty depth on the mound is up in the air with Matthew Liberatore looking to be a fixture in the rotation for the extent of his contract, despite workload concerns, and Quinn Mathews looking to be healthy after a shoulder issue to start the season. Currently, JoJo Romero and John King mix in with Steven Matz in the bullpen but Matz is a free agent at season’s end and King is, well, John King. Romero has his questions, too, and the minor league lefty depth is thin after Mathews. Cooper Hjerpe is out for the season after Tommy John, Drew Rom constantly fights injuries, and Zack Thompson has not been able to make good on his first-round pick selection. Free-agent signing Tyler Matzek will probably make his way to St. Louis in the near future but he is most likely not going to be a difference maker.
What’s the pitching solution? Probably money, unfortunately. However, we probably won’t see how the Cardinals wish to attack that issue, if they even see it as one, this offseason since we don’t know what Chaim Bloom’s plans are for the team. If the transition season is going to happen, we may not see any big deals made for lefty arms. Of course, the Cardinals may feel they’re all set with southpaws and run out Liberatore, Mathews, King, and Romero next year and hope to find something with their younger prospects or through minor league deals.
Overall, the Cardinals are full of quality hitters and they all just so happen to be lefties. So unless they can teach these young guys to take some swings from the right side while also adjusting to high-level pitching, a trade could end up being a solution to what may be a lefty problem.