With a few of the St. Louis Cardinals starting pitchers battling fatigue, injury, youth and/or a protected number of innings…seems like a no-brainer to go to a 6 man rotation right?

Here is why I say yes it makes perfect sense. The Cardinals had a legit 6 starters ready for big league pitching when spring training ended. They had Wainwright, Lynn, Wacha, Miller, Kelly, and Martinez. They also had Lyons, Garcia, and a few other arms that were not far away from the MLB team. They opted with the standard five man rotation and sent Martinez to the bullpen where he finished last season.

While this all sounds great, we all know starting pitching is where the real value lies on a MLB roster. Bullpen guys are a dime a dozen. Scan through recent save leaders, closers, etc and you’ll see guys stick for a few years but very few last a long time. Teams can find a new guy who throws heat to fill that role for a period of time and then move on to the next guy. The Cardinals should know all about this by the way they’ve re-made they bullpen and/or closer situation practically every season of recent memory.

Legit major league starting pitching is like gold. Hence the reason the Cardinals have been hording as many pitchers as possible the last few seasons. There were (and still are) many good reasons a six man would’ve been ideal this season.

First, your ace, Adam Wainwright was coming off another major workload last season. He’s a big strong guy and they rely on him heavily to produce. A six man rotation would’ve given you many an easy opportunity to skip a start by Waino and build in that added rest. And, considering he had a minor elbow flare up that cost him a start recently, even more reason to put one in place.

Second, Michael Wacha, the future of the franchise in the pitching department was going to be pitching his first full season. Granted he was lights out last year, and looked invincible, he still hadn’t pitched a full season and his workload was going to be monitored closely. Were they going to do like Shelby Miller last year (or Strasburg the year before) and just shut him down? A six man would’ve given you the opportunity to also rest him and not just pitch him til he hit a number then shut him down for the year. I’ll also add Martinez and Joe Kelly to this item because they too are both young pitchers who most likely would’ve been under an innings watch as well.

Third, they became reliant on Jaime Garcia in the rotation. He has a history of arm injuries and was coming off of another surgery and rehab. The addition of a sixth man would’ve also helped him ease back into the role and stress of a major league season.

Finally, you also had another young guy in Shelby Miller who was looking to make the step up in his progression. While you’d love to think that was a given, he did hit a wall last year and the Cardinals eased off using him late in the season. Another guy in the rotation could have helped him if he hit any sophomore slump or fatigue issues while making the jump from rookie to veteran workhorse.

The old school five man rotation is probably fine in most cases. However, if you have the talent, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t go to a six man rotation in today’s game. Pitching is such a valued asset. Protecting your guys by giving them more rest and avoiding all that wear and tear would seem like the best course of action for the longevity of those valued arms.