The St. Louis Cardinals are currently dealing with very limited starting pitching depth, but their recent addition of former Cleveland Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac could help address some of those issues.
The team announced the signing on Friday. While many fans may remember Plesac for his strong start with Cleveland, he’s had trouble holding down a consistent role in the majors lately. And before anyone gets frustrated about the Cardinals picking up another mid-season starter with recent struggles, the reality is that players like him are the only ones available at this point in the year.
Zach Plesac has connections with new Cardinals’ front office members and gives them much needed depth
Zach Plesac, now 30, made his MLB debut with the Guardians in 2019, impressing early with a 3.81 ERA over 21 starts. He followed that up with a stellar showing in the shortened 2020 season, posting a 2.28 ERA across eight starts, which positioned him as a promising long-term piece in Cleveland’s rotation.
Although his 2021 and 2022 seasons weren’t standout campaigns, Plesac remained a durable option, making 49 starts and one relief appearance while logging 274.1 innings with a 4.49 ERA and a 4.59 FIP. He succeeded mainly by limiting walks and inducing soft contact — a profile that should sound familiar to Cardinals fans.
While Plesac no longer projects as a high-upside arm, he’s an intriguing depth option for the Cardinals given their current rotation situation. The front office likely saw a familiar face in him as well — Rob Cerfolio, the Cardinals’ recently hired assistant GM for player development and performance, previously spent a decade with the Guardians and would have worked closely with Plesac. Larry Day, St. Louis’ new director of player development, also overlapped with Plesac in Cleveland.
Plesac has struggled in recent seasons. He was released by the Guardians after five rough starts in 2023 and managed just three starts for the Angels in 2024, where he posted an 8.25 ERA. However, he recently joined the independent Long Island Ducks and looked solid, recording a 2.84 ERA and striking out nearly eight batters per nine innings.
Given his big league background and experience as a starter, Plesac offers valuable depth at a time when the Cardinals’ pitching pipeline is thin. Aside from Michael McGreevy in Triple-A Memphis, most of their other top arms — including Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and Tekoah Roby — have been unavailable due to injury or development stage. With Cooper Hjerpe, Sem Robberse, and Bryan Haley out for the season, options are limited. Plesac isn’t a frontline fix, but he provides a safety net without risking the future of one of their top young arms.
This marks the Cardinals’ second recent depth signing, having also brought in lefty reliever Tyler Matzek on a minor league deal. Both Plesac and Matzek are expected to report to Memphis and could factor into the big league roster later this season if needed.
