Phil Maton calls out the Toronto Blue Jays and the entire league
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Photo credit: Redbird Rants
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Phil Maton is on a mission this seaon!
Phil Maton has been a standout addition for the St. Louis Cardinals after signing a one-year, $2 million deal in March.
Here's what Maton had to say in his recent interview with The New York Post.
«Teams kind of seemed vocal that they'd rather have guys that throw hard than [a pitcher with] durability or consistency. Every team we play, it is what it is, it's personal.» -Maton
Maton is making a strong statement early in his 2025 campaign with the Cardinals. Over 10 appearances, he's pitched 9.1 innings, racked up 11 strikeouts, earned a save, and has yet to allow a run, sporting a perfect 0.00 ERA.
Dominic Genetti of the Huron Daily Tribune writes that after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last season, Maton contributed to the Mets' run to the National League Championship Series, where they ultimately fell to the Dodgers in six games. However, when offseason roster decisions rolled around, the Mets declined his $7.75 million option for 2025, making him a free agent.
"Maton became a free agent and the best he got in terms of offers were non-roster invites to spring training, although he didn't disclose which teams sent those invites. By mid-March, the Cardinals came calling. St. Louis made a lot of baseball headlines in the offseason for not signing a single free agent and not making any other plausible moves." -Genetti
Genetti also writes that while he didn't address joining the Cardinals in his interview, Maton did share with Cardinals beat writer John Denton of MLB.com that he grew up a fan of the team. He admired late-'90s and early-2000s stars like Mark McGwire, Hall of Famer Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, and Albert Pujols, and attended games at both Busch Stadium II and Busch Stadium III.
"Definitely younger Phil would have been stoked about it. As you go through professional baseball, you get numb to it and your favorite team is whatever team you are on that year. So I've had multiple favorite teams in the last couple of years. But it's going to be exciting being close to home and close to family and friends that grew up Cardinals fans" -Maton
The Blue Jays only play the Cardinals in June, so we'll have to wait till then for Maton to seek his revenge.
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