The Cardinals’ erstwhile Central Division rival Astros reportedly placed starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez on waivers yesterday. Assuming the Cardinals haven’t thrown in the towel on the season (a big assumption, considering their Saturday-afternoon lineup vs. the Cubs) — and if they want to get a head start on 2012 — they should claim Rodriguez.

First, if the Cardinals are going to seriously try to catch the Brewers this year, they’re going to need help — and not simply a minor improvement — in their rotation. Hitting isn’t their weakness — they lead the league in wOBA, as they have all season — but their rotation can stand an upgrade for the final 40 days of the season: Their starters’ combined FIP is 3.79, seventh in the NL, notably behind the Phillies, Braves, Giants and Brewers — all teams with better records than the Cardinals. For the rest of the season, Rodriguez represents an upgrade from four of the team’s current five starters — consider the projected ERA and FIP for the following:

Unlike Edwin Jackson, for whom the team traded to shore up the pitching (and provide cover for jettisoning Colby Rasmus), Rodriguez probably won’t require much — certainly not a Rasmus — to acquire. True, his contract isn’t a bargain, but it’s rather reasonable, considering that it’s low exposure (two years) and that it’s hard to imagine that Jackson will settle for a contract of less value this winter.

And unlike Jackson, Rodriguez isn’t simply a one-off acquisition. Under contract for two more seasons at $10 and $13 million, respectively, the lefty fills a hole in the club’s rotation not only in 2011 but in 2012 and 2013. Rodriguez figures to be a better deal in 2012 than Chris Carpenter, whose $15 million option at age 37 is untenable. Even though the Cardinals will have Garcia, Wainwright (likely), Lohse and Westbrook next year, Wainwright’s health, and Lohse and Westbook’s remaining skill sets are far from certain. And the only major-league talent under contract in 2013 will be Garcia and Wainwright.

Whether the Cardinals can claim and acquire Rodriguez simply for the price of his contract or negotiate with the Astros to land him in a trade, it makes sense both in the short- and long-term to get Rodriguez. Why not give the fans a legitimate final hope for the all-in 2011 season while keeping the team in competitive shape next year?

This entry was posted by Pip on Saturday, August 20th, 2011 at 5:45 pm and is filed under analysis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.