A thought came to me recently when I heard Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak state that his team wants to add three starters for next season because I already knew the Mets will be looking for three as well:
Just how deep is the need for rotation help among teams that will be trying to contend in 2024?
Remember how difficult teams found it to land a starter at the trade deadline — and how many contenders failed to land an arm because of it. That was, to some degree, a preview of how difficult a task it will be to bolster a staff. The enlargement of the playoff field to 12 teams has more clubs imagining they could make the postseason and, thus, there are fewer tankers.
In the world of supply and demand, that leaves fewer sellers at the deadline. And it leaves fewer teams in the offseason not trying to upgrade — and most need starters. Note the plural — many clubs with hopes to contend need more than one starter.
