Of course, phenom Carlos Martinez and the reliable Joe Kelly are the leading candidates.
Martinez projects as a front-end starter down the road and based off of his cameo in the bullpen in 2013, could be ready to step in to the role.
Kelly also is an intriguing option as he was easily the most effective and consistent starter in the St. Louis rotation throughout the second half of 2013.
But lets not forget about Tyler Lyons, who is an intriguing option for manager Mike Matheny to consider for several reasons, especially as the season begins.
Lyons made his MLB debut in 2013 with St. Louis, pitching in 12 games while starting eight in route to posting a 2-4 record with a 4.75 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
While those are not outstanding numbers, they are not awful either and with another season under his belt and his first taste of big leagues out of the way, Lyons should be in a position to make adjustments and improve upon what he built in 2013.
Lyons does not have near the talent of Kelly, let alone Martinez, who is a world of his own (especially with his Twitter behavior) when it comes to pure stuff.
But using Lyons as the fifth starter to replace Garcia could accomplish several things that would help the team in the long-run in 2014.
First, using Lyons would leave Martinez and Kelly in the bullpen for now, which is important considering both are extremely effective in their relief roles and until Jason Motte is 100 percent, both are needed in the pen.
Using Lyons instead of Martinez also would be a way to limit the youngster's innings. Martinez threw 109 innings in 2013, by far his most as a professional, and the club will certainly be looking to monitor his load in 2014.
Finally, using Lyons as a fifth starter could up his ante in trade value. At 26, Lyons does not have much time left on the clock to be fully considered a prospect and showcasing him now will allow the club to decide his future and possibly up his value in a potential future deal.
Martinez is certainly the sexy pick. Kelly is the safe pick.
But in my opinion, Lyons is the most intriguing choice and it would make a lot of sense for the Cardinals to audition the big lefty while every doctor in the world tries to figure out what is wrong with Garcia.
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