After rallying in the season's final month to make the National League wild-card game, the Cardinals are looking to maintain success by adding to their pitching staff.
St. Louis is reportedly in agreement to sign starting pitcher Steven Matz to a four-year, $44 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal includes incentives that could make the deal worth up to $48 million.
Matz, 30, bounced back from a brutal 2020 campaign to post the best season of his career with Toronto. He went 14–7 with a 3.82 ERA over 29 starts, helping lead the Blue Jays to 91 wins.
Before posting a 9.68 ERA over 30.2 innings in 2020, Matz had a 4.09 ERA across 60 starts from 2018-19 for the Mets, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning and proving to be a reliable mid-rotation piece. The Cardinals address a need both in the short- and long-term by agreeing to a four-year pact with Matz, and likely will look to add even more starting pitching this offseason.
