The Cardinals will try to make Trevor Rosenthal a starter

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Much of what the Cardinals touch tends to turn to gold, so it’s sometimes difficult to evaluate their decisions before we get to see how they work. That doesn’t mean we won’t evaluate their latest move — to make closer Trevor Rosenthal a starter — but even while scratching our heads, deep down we know there is a real possibility St. Louis will make our reactions now look dumb in the future. They have a penchant for that, and you just get used to it and write about their roster anyway.

Rosenthal was a dominant closer until 2016, when his walks spiked to 6.5 per nine and, in his desperation to throw strikes more often, became hittable. A career-low strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.93) combined with career highs in hit and homer rates means Rosenthal produced a 4.46 ERA after entering the year with a career rate of 2.66. The Cardinals are making this guy a starter now. Sure, he has three pitches, but he can’t trust all three, and walks are easier to hide in a relief role where a pitcher can be lifted in a hurry on days they don’t have it. St. Louis is going to pull this security blanket off of Rosenthal.

Well, maybe. Rosenthal will get the chance to start and will be stretched out this spring, but he’s also one of eight (!) starters the Cardinals have on the roster. They already have Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Mike Leake, Alex Reyes, and Jaime Garcia, and Lance Lynn will return from Tommy John that cost him 2015. Michael Wacha is working his way back from his own injury issues, and as Derrick Goold pointed out, behind Rosenthal, there is also Triple-A depth in Marco Gonzales and Tim Clooney. If Rosenthal looks good as a starter, St. Louis can deal one of their many arms elsewhere for something else they need. If he doesn’t? They can throw him back in the pen. It seems weird, but they’re in a win-win situation with this roster, so why not?