Manager Oli Marmol informed media, including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, that the Cardinals are relocating southpaw Steven Matz to the bullpen. Given that Jones points out that Marmol called the move “for the time being” and clarified that the goal is for Matz to stay spread out and be ready to return to the rotation if needed in the future, the move might not be permanent. The main reason Matz started the season in the bullpen before entering the rotation just over two weeks ago was because the Cardinals have four days off in May, which makes it challenging to run out a six-man rotation.
Even if the return to a relief position is only temporary, the soon-to-be 34-year-old veteran must nonetheless find this to be a disheartening development. Given that Matz has a clean 1.50 ERA and 1.89 FIP this season, it is hard to claim that the job shift is due to performance. In two starts, he has struck out 11 of the 34 hitters he has faced, giving up only one run and zero walks in nine innings of work. His performance in the rotation has been even better. In the meanwhile, in each of their six starts, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas have had ERA+ figures that are below average.
Nevertheless, there is some logic to the move. Matz is accustomed to having his role altered over the season, after all. The southpaw is in his fourth season in St. Louis, and in each of those four seasons, Matz has started games and relieved out. The left-hander has had a turbulent time in St. Louis. Although his 4.15 ERA and 3.78 FIP make him appear to be a pretty normal mid-to-back of the rotation arm, injuries have caused him to throw fewer than 50 innings in two of his four years with the Cardinals, and his ERA has skyrocketed beyond 5.00.Moving Matz to the bullpen instead of a player like Mikolas, who last pitched in relief as a major leaguer in 2013, makes sense given his history of relief pitching and his inconsistent performance over the years.
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No matter what position Matz plays in the future, if the Cardinals are unable to improve after a 14–19 start and the lefty keeps pitching at a level comparable to what he has this season, he is likely to be one of the more sought-after arms available at the deadline. Competing teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Rangers already have obvious needs that a guy like Matz might ideally fill, and pitching of all kinds is very sought-after on the trade market come summertime.Matz’s role flexibility could actually increase his value on the trade market by keeping teams interested in his services who need both rotation and bullpen help. The veteran is in his final season under team control, so the Cardinals would have little reason to hold onto him if they aren’t in contention come July.
