The St. Louis Cardinals are in an unfamiliar position — heavily involved in the free-agent market for starting pitchers — following the news that Lance Lynn will miss the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, they have the financial resources to sign David Price, Zack Greinke or Jordan Zimmermann. One major reason why: Earlier this year, they signed a 15-year television rights extension with FOX Sports Midwest worth more than $1 billion, according to Forbes.
The Cardinals have made substantial pitching investments in recent years, but usually in the form of contract extensions for players they know well — such as Adam Wainwright’s five-year, $97.