What the rotation will look like after the close

ATLANTA, GA – JULY 05: Andre Pallante #53 of the St. Louis Cardinals serves against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park on July 5, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals have taken steps to improve their pitching staff, which will dramatically change their starting rotation.

At the start of the trade deadline season is the cardinals let them know they want to improve their pitching staff who fell victim to the injury bug.

Cardinals baseball operations president John Mozeliak has taken steps to trade for a couple of mid-rotation guys in Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, allowing the rotation some flexibility as Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz recover from their injuries .

Flaherty is on the 60-day injured list due to ongoing problems with his shoulder. While he’s hosted some light sessions, he may not be ready to return until late August – early September. Steven Matz has made some progress on his leg after hitting the injury list with an MCL tear.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

It will probably be a while before we see her back in rotation.

With the additions of Quintana and Montgomery, the Cardinals don’t have to rush to get Flaherty or Matz back, putting their health at risk.

What is the Cardinals rotation with these moves now?

While there will ultimately be a battle for fifth place in the rotation between Dakota Hudson and Andre Pallante, they could have a piggyback situation if an opener is Hudson and the rest of the innings is finished by Pallante.

For the season, Hudson has a record of 6-6 in 19 games and 101 innings. He has 54 strikeouts. Pallante, 23, is 4-4 in 10 games for the Cardinals in his rookie season. In his last start, he was impressive, going eight innings, giving up five hits and a walk while hitting eight batters. He has a 3.18 ERA and 59 strikeouts.

It will be interesting to see which of these two will win fifth place in rotation or if they will team up for a piggyback start.