Written by Derek Harvey at Bloguin
Yesterday, the Cardinals announced the unfortunate news that Lance Lynn would miss the entirety of the 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It’s a huge blow to what was the best team in the National League in 2015. Lance Lynn saved the Cardinals rotation after Adam Wainwright went down with a season ending injury of his own and they never would have made the Postseason without him. Now they have to figure out what to do with their rotation going forward.
First and foremost, they will have their long time ace return to full time action. Adam Wainwright missed nearly all of the 2015 season with an Achilles injury. He did make a return in October and during the playoffs pitching out of the bullpen. He will be ready for Spring Training and a full return to the rotation. Right now, we can pencil him in as the Opening Day starter.
Next up is Carlos Martinez, who enjoyed much success in his first full season at the major league level. He contributed 31 appearances with 29 of them coming out of the rotation. He ended the season with a 3.03 ERA and 3.21 FIP worth 3.4 fWAR. He threw 179.2, innings which means he should need an innings limit next year. At just 24-years old, all indications are that he can continue being an above average starter for the Cardinals. There might even be room for improvement, which is a scary thought for the rest of baseball.
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