Should the Cardinals Take a Flier on Jack Suwinski?

Should the Cardinals Take a Flier on Jack Suwinski?

 
The Cardinals have made it clear they want a right-handed bat. Jack Suwinski isn’t that. He’s a left-handed, three-true-outcomes corner outfielder who can stand in center when needed. So why even talk about him?
 
Because price matters, depth matters, and power plays—especially when you can control the matchups.
 
Suwinski’s time in Pittsburgh unraveled for pretty standard reasons. Pitchers lived at the top of the zone with four-seamers and buried spin below it, and his in-zone contact didn’t keep up. The platoon gap against lefties stayed wide, which shrunk his role. When the bat went cold, there wasn’t enough defensive value to float his roster spot. That’s the story.
 
But there’s still something here. When Suwinski holds the strike zone, the walks and barrels show up together, and suddenly you’re looking at a lefty who can run a 20+ homer pace against right-handed pitching. Busch Stadium rewards a pulled fly ball just fine, and Suwinski’s natural loft plays into that. He’s athletic enough to be serviceable in the corners and can fake center in a pinch if you protect him with late-inning defense.
 
Would he fit in St. Louis? In the right role, yes. Picture him as a strong-side platoon outfielder who starts against righties and spends the rest of his time as a pinch-hitter against certain right-handed relievers—specifically the ones without elite ride on the fastball. Bat him in the lower third, let a right-handed contact bat follow him to break up strikeout clusters, and keep most of his innings in left or right field. Center should be emergency-only.
 
The contract piece is straightforward. After a DFA, his market points to a minor-league deal with a spring invite or a split contract. He’d want an opt-out date if he’s not on the 26-man by a certain point. The Cardinals, in turn, should be clear about the plan: strict platoon usage, targeted work on high fastballs, and spin recognition. Give him measurable goals—trim the chase rate, lift the in-zone contact, keep the barrel quality—then reassess after about 150 plate appearances.
 
How would he actually get at-bats? He’s injury insurance behind the current outfield mix. If a right-handed addition arrives as expected, Suwinski becomes the lefty counterweight—someone you can call up when you need pop against right-handed pitching without shuffling the whole roster.
 
There are risks. If the high fastball hole doesn’t shrink, the cold spells are going to feel long. The way around that is discipline: hold the platoon line, pick late-game matchups carefully, and squeeze extra value from defense and baserunning with positioning and jumps.
 
Bottom line: I’ll admit it: I was high on Suwinski and thought he had star potential. Maybe that’s why I’m a writer, not a scout—but I still think he’s worth taking a flier on. He won’t solve the Cardinals’ right-handed bat problem. But on a minor-league deal, he’s a smart hedge—cheap left-handed power with a defined job. If the approach tune-up sticks, he can steal you a few wins on the margins without blocking bigger plans.

Photo Credit - Post Gazzette