Hunt and Peck

Cardinals tender John Gant a contract - A Hunt and Peck

And that is important.

By lil_scooter93 Dec 4, 2019, 1:00pm EST

John Gant was one of the few remaining question marks for the Cardinals roster in 2020. Gant’s future became a little clearer as the Cardinals announced they had tendered the righty a contract for the upcoming season. 2020 will be Gant’s first year of arbitration. Per Anne Rogers of MLB.com:

Presenting Gant with a contract for 2020 means the Cardinals are committing to going through the arbitration process with Gant, unless they can agree to terms on a deal before mid-January.

Why is retaining Gant important? Well for one thing, he offers flexibility in his ability to start games as well as relieve. While he is probably not a starter the Cardinals would hope to have to rely on, the depth he provides is comforting and valuable. His short stint in the majors so far as show some success, too. In just over 66 innings in 2019 Gant amassed 0.9 fWAR.

More importantly though, John Gant has become a bit of a cult hero around these parts. His offensive ineptitude inspired a deep look from Ben Clemens into the pitcher’s decent into despair. Then his unexpected triumphs at the plate inspired something else. This so confused us that not only did we proclaim poems, Tyler Kinzy claimed John Gant broke math. After later absurdity from the pitcher, Tyler was forced to examine Gant’s perfect 10-0 record. It has been quite a ride.

Thankfully for us and for the sweet, sweet content, it is not over quite yet...

John Gant tendered 2020 contract by Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals

How to never lose: John Gant and baseball’s pantheon of weirdness | Viva El Birdos

John Gant Broke Math | Viva El Birdos

John Gant, King of Kings | Viva El Birdos

John Gant’s Descent into Despair | Viva El Birdos