When the Cardinals drew up their season plans way back before the start of Spring Training, they surely envisioned Carlos Martinez and Dakota Hudson playing significant roles on the pitching staff. That’s not quite how things turned out, though the club is still quite likely headed for the postseason.
The embattled Martinez was pulled from his start tonight with what the team is describing as a mid-back strain. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to cover the developments on Twitter.
Martinez was ultimately charged with eight earned runs, leaving him with an unsightly 9.90 ERA on the season. The prognosis remains to be seen, but it’s fair to wonder regardless whether he will play a significant role in the postseason (should the Cards qualify).
Martinez, who already missed a big chunk of the campaign owing to coronavirus infection, will earn $11.5MM next year before the club makes a call on the first of two club options. The Cards might conceivably shop him in the offseason, though contractual circumstances may instead dictate an effort at a rebound in St. Louis.
As for Hudson, it was already known that he’d miss the remainder of the year with a forearm injury. As Anne Rogers of MLB.com covers via Twitter, Hudson’s outlook beyond that point remains to be seen.
The outcome of an initial medical review isn’t known. Hudson is due for a second opinion on his wounded wing, with a decision on treatment to ensue.
Before the health issues intervened, Hudson had been humming. Through 39 frames over eight starts, he carried a 2.77 ERA. Despite marginal K/BB numbers, Hudson has throughout his young career induced loads of groundballs and outperformed ERA estimators.
Trade C-Mart!!
Hear, Hear, finally a sane comment
Due $11.5m and coming off a 9.90 ERA season in which he threw more than 6 IP once (today, and gave up 8 ER). He has no value. Might as well take a shot at letting him rebuild value next year and just cut him and eat the money if he can’t.
This is a sane comment
TeMs will line up to trade quality for that contract in a pandemic.
Sucks his body fell apart.
Just like rosenthal. Get rid of him.
The $11.5 million is a sunk cost and should not enter into the decision to pitch CMart or not. The decision must be based on performance. The same is true for Carpenter and Fowler. The money is spent and gone. It must not hold the team hostage to mediocrity.
I do agree with your idea. But the Cardinals aren’t known for dumping non productive players and eating their contracts. A ton of names come to mind over the last 5 years of Mozeliak’s reign. Just Start with Brett Cecil and go from there. Carpenter could hit .122 and he’d still start. Fowler will hit better than Carpenter, so he will start too. Even though we don’t like it, we’re going to have to live with Martinez, Fowler and Carpenter’s playing time. Mozeliak will not trade or cut these players because their contracts make him look bad enough as it is. To have to dump them would make Mozeliak look like a Moron.
I don’t think we should trade him at all. Was a year away from 30+ saves. Can for sure turn it around. Has the stuff. Carp and flower should be moved way before Carlos. Both are less valuable and cost more
Martinez was solid as a Closer last season and thats a role he could thrive in be it in St.Louis or elsewhere.
Hudson is the bigger loss to the Cardinals rotation. Hopefully this isn’t something that is going to hinder him into next season
the operative word, “was”, but actually should be, “Never Was”. whether a starter or relief he can’t get out of the first couple of innings without giving up hits and or runs
the operative word, “was”, but actually should be, “Never Was”. whether a starter or relief he can’t get out of the first couple of innings without giving up hits and or runs.
Martinez is a guy who really must drive management (and maybe even himself) nuts. He has all the talent in the world — and at times (even for entire seasons) has looked dominant. And then other times he comes out and throws dud after dud… one thing that I was even surprised by is that he is still quite young. It feels like he’s been around forever now but he’s still only 28 and only a year removed from pitching quite well as a reliever. I think he could still turn things around, possibly even still as a SP, and could wind up pitching well enough next year that the Cards even exercise his option for 2022… we’ll see… he could also be in the beginning of an implosion/downward spiral in which case he might even wind up DFA’d at some point next season… but personally I think he’ll turn things around and this time next year will be looking back on an all-star/borderline all-star season as opposed to his current dreadful 9.90 ERA run.
Thank you Johnny Superscout
So what’s YOUR opinion, Mr Snarky Judgmentalist? So, people aren’t allowed to express their opinion on MLBTR?
What he wrote was pretty spot on.
why do people write, still 28 years old? (insert any age) how many chances are you going to give him? maybe molina calls the wrong pitches? let weiters catch him for a change.
I’m tired of waiting around for C-Mart to live up to his potential or whatever. It seems to me he has a 100 dollar arm and a 10 cent brain. If the Cards go in to 2021 expecting *anything* out of him, they are being irresponsible.
Hudson will likely miss 2021 too.
2021 rotation?
Waino
Flaherty
Kim
Mikolas
Gomber
Not a lot of depth after that, unless we are going to throw Liberatore (20 years old) and Thompson (22) out there. I guess there is Ponce, but he looks mediocre at best.
Pitching depth went from our strength to our….not strength?
Everyone is overlooking the possible effects COVID had in Martinez this season. Moncada has had a tough time recovering as well.
If it weren’t for Yadi CMart wouldn’t have made it this far.Trade him, Cut ties with Carp , Fowler and Mo! Potential doesn’t win games and neither do washed up overpaid ball players
He’ll be in STL next season. After that is all on his performance in 2021. If he performs like the old starter he used to be then I could see them picking up that option but I won’t hold my breath.
Martinez & Flaherty to Toronto for Vladdy the fatty & Thornton
Martinez, Carpenter and Fowler for Roark, Fisher and Shaw. Jays will take on all salary.
Joking….
Cards arent trading Flaherty and Jays arent trading Vlad
I would not completely discount Vlad being traded. The odds are very slim unlike his waistline but they might be open to a blowaway offer. Budlight’s proposal would not make the Jays consider.
vlad, biggest buttocks in mlb
“wounded wing”(!).
Man, I really do like the style of the writers at MLBTR.
Meet me in CF if you disagree.
🙂
They are non-descript, average at best.
I tired of Martinez’s act a few years ago. Kept waiting for him to reach his potential. He never really did