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The St. Louis Cardinals recently signed MLB free agent starting pitcher Steven Matz to a four-year, $44 million deal on Tuesday. Matz enjoyed a bounce back season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who were reportedly making a push for the services of the southpaw. MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi details how the Blue Jays fell just short of the Cardinals in signing Steven Matz.
The #BlueJays offered Steven Matz a 3-year contract, source says. He is now in agreement with the #STLCards on a 4-year deal, as @JeffPassan has reported. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 24, 2021
The Blue Jays offered Steven Matz a three-year contract, though it looks like that extra year that he got from the Cardinals was extremely important to him.
Matz, who recorded a 14-7 record with a 3.82 ERA across 150 2/3 innings, was much better pitching for the Blue Jays in a tough American League East division in 2021 than he was pitching for the New York Mets back in the shortened 2020 MLB season.
The lefty was rewarded by the Cardinals for his strong season. Matz is a good pickup for St. Louis, who made a late-season run to the postseason but lacked solid pitchers behind ace Jack Flaherty and veteran Adam Wainwright. The former Met should bring some stability to the Cardinals rotation.
As for the Blue Jays, they'll have to somehow replace the underrated Matz. Perhaps they can find rotation help within their own division, as the Baltimore Orioles are rumored to be shopping starting pitcher John Means. Matz isn't some superstar, but Toronto will feel his absence and the Cardinals should benefit from his presence during the 2022 MLB season.
With a monstrous lineup full of young sluggers, a promising bullpen and a division within reach, the Blue Jays need to do their due diligence to fill out the rest of their starting rotation.
