ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Say hello to your new St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Steven Matz. The team held a introductory press conference with free agent signee on Monday, which you can watch in the video above.
When asked why he picked St. Louis – reportedly over multiple teams including his hometown New York Mets – he listed a few reasons.
"I've always admired the Cardinals' organization from afar," Matz said. "The famous Cardinal way, I've always really admired the way they did things. Being able to throw to an incredible catcher in Yadier Molina is something that also goes into the process.
"The team they have, the incredible defense, the run they went on last year, the excitement of the fans, the great ballpark. These are all things you start to think about and I feel extremely blessed that I was able to make this decision ... Not to mention it's also a short drive from my home in Nashville, Tennessee."
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak also listed six specific reasons why Matz was a fit for St. Louis:
1. "We think he's a really good pitcher"
2. "He's left handed"
3. "He throws strikes"
4. "We think he'll take advantage of our defense and our ballpark"
5. "We think he's a winner"
6. "He's a good person"
Mozeliak said starting pitcher was the team's No. 1 goal going into this offseason. He was also asked if there's anything else he'd like to do before spring training 2022.
"We still would like to add additional bullpen arms. Clearly we want to go into camp with a little more depth than what we had last year," Mozeliak says. "I would also say that we're still a little unsure on if there will be a (designated hitter adopted in the National League) or not. Obviously if there's a chance to add a different type of hitter that's something we'll consider."
The 30-year-old New York native signed a four year contract reportedly worth $11 million per year, with incentives for him to earn up to $4 million more each year. He's expected to slot into the 2022 starting rotation behind Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright, likely ahead of Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas.
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St. Louis and its five 2021 Gold Glove fielders seem like a perfect match for Matz, with a ground ball rate around 50%. He had a bounce back year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, going 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA after a horrible pandemic-effected 2020 when he was 0-5 with a 9.68 ERA.
He's known for staying healthy, not giving up many walks, but doesn't often go deep into games. In his last three full seasons, (2021, 2018, 2019) he averaged 30 starts and 155 innings. But he only pitched past the sixth inning three times in 2021.
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