The Cardinals acquired right-hander Roddery Muñoz from the Marlins. The Fish apparently placed him on waivers in recent days, and St. Louis claimed him off the wire.
Muñoz, 24, made his major league debut with the Marlins this season. Due to rotation injuries, Muñoz was called up to the major leagues.
Muñoz had a 6.53 earned run average in 82 2/3 innings this season. His strikeout percentage (18.5%), walk rate (11.1%), and ground ball rate (34%), all fell below league average.
Despite his unimpressive start, Muñoz has a promising track record in minor leagues. Since the beginning of 2021, he has struck out 24.3% of hitters faced on the farm. His 11.4% walk rate at the time was high, and his 5.18 ERA was mediocre. However, a low strand rate of 64.8% could be a factor, making his 4.83 FIP more acceptable.
The Cardinals are planning a reset year in which they will decrease salary and reorganize their player development system. They recently denied club options for Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. This winter, they could consider dealing expensive veterans like Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, or Steven Matz.
Those moves might be supplemented by others that bring in younger, cheaper, and more inexpensive arms, but going with less-proven players may mean depth arms become more crucial. The acquisition of Muñoz is the first in a series of potential transactions that may alter their rotation this winter.
