Desperation has a way of making people a lot less picky. When expectations dramatically fail to meet reality, a team cannot just stick to the plan that helped get them to this undesirable position. No, risks have to be taken. The St. Louis Cardinals were a popular pick to repeat as National League Central winners, and a sleeper to make a deep postseason run.
Unfortunately, they may embodied the second part of that sentence a little too well in the early goings of the 2023 MLB season. The Cards own the worst record in the NL at 10-22 and have lost nine of their last 10 games. We are getting dangerously close to passing the “Eh, they'll wake up, it's early” threshold and being forced to label this a full-on fiasco.
Yes, it is still early, but this is getting away from manager Oliver Marmol and company. The Cardinals lineup has not been as intimidating as expected but is still in the top half of baseball in most offensive categories. Pitching has been their undoing.
St. Louis has allowed the second-most hits (299) and third-highest opponents batting average (.274). They trail teams like the Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds. Keeping that type of company probably causes general manager Mike Girsch some sleepless nights. There is a solution, though.
But it is not one that will look good on paper in the year 2023. Or even 2022, 2021 and 2020 if we're being honest. It is important to remember, however, that any Cardinals paper currently being printed originates from a tree of despair. Hence, the organization does not have the luxury of just dismissing a previously perceived “risky option.”
Bad teams must take gambles from time to time. And despite their ample talent, that's what the Redbirds are right now. There is available reinforcements that can instantly arrive. Borderline Hall of Fame help, some would say.
Madison Bumgarner is just a phone call away. Before you rush off, stick around just a bit longer. You might be sold on old' MadBum, just yet.
Because we will look at why former San Francisco Giants great Madison Bumgarner is the gamble worth taking for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why Cardinals could use Madison Bumgarner in their pitching rotation
I'm guessing suggesting the team signs the very man they sent to the waiver wire is a bit too crazy to consider. Well, the dangers Bumgarner brings comes with one of the most impressive postseason résumés ever to be written by a pitcher. Can fans say the same about the current wild cards at the back end of the starting rotation?
Steven Matz has a 6.39 ERA and Jack Flaherty has not come back the same from injury, posting a 6.29 ERA. The also-struggling Jake Woodford is headed to the IL, which will clear the way for the returning Adam Wainwright. However, this staff can still benefit from another veteran presence like Bumgarner.
While the three-time World Series Champion's numbers are worse than those mentioned above- posted a 10.26 ERA in four starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks this season and clocks in with a velocity of just 89 mph at the age of 33-, he should still be afforded a comeback opportunity. His track record is too well-established, and St. Louis does not have much to lose.
It is the perfect pairing for two parties down on their luck. Who said two wrongs can't make a right? Bumgarner has had some time to work through his issues, failing to record an ERA below 4.50 since his last season with the Giants in 2019. Though, I am of the belief reputable organizations can cosmically turn a slumping player around.
The Cardinals do not shine as brightly as they did a few years ago, but they still have plenty of credit stored in the competency bank through years of solid operating. And so does the pitcher with the lowest ERA in World Series history (0.25), per StatMuse. That shelling by St. Louis on April 19th, which saw the southpaw give up seven earned runs in three innings, should be the wake-up call Madison Bumgarner needs to change his style.
He won't blow anyone away with his power but can still develop into a more effective ground-ball hurler. A new setting and mindset can make the four-time All-Star a respectable No. 4 or 5 starter. Even if it is the end for Bumgarner, the franchise should be thoroughly looking at all available arms.
And the potential concern of working with Willson Contreras after their heated exchange in that April game has greatly been diminished with the three-time All-Star now being moved from catcher. It's all falling into place for Bumgarner.
Full disclosure, though, Girsch and Marmol probably want to see if the return of Wainwright can be enough to transform the staff. Waiting out the storm might be a bigger gamble, though.
And if the Cardinals manage to recover and clinch a postseason berth, they might wish they had Big-Game Bum's services.
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