So, who’s next?

“There has not been any discussion, or anything like that,” Wacha said.

The righthander presents an interesting case, especially if you look ahead. Garcia’s final club option is for 2017, the same year Lynn’s contract comes off the books.

Wacha and Wong are classmates when it comes to service time, meaning he will enter arbitration after this season. The idea of extending the pitcher can be argued either way.

Proponents will argue that Wacha, the NLCS MVP in 2013 and an All-Star last season, represents a pillar of the Cards’ emerging core. He’s 26-14 with a 3.21 career ERA. He’s pitched 353 career innings, averaging 1.187 walks plus hits per innings pitched. And he hasn’t hit his ceiling. Good, reliable starting pitching is hard to come by. Same for cost certainty, a must-have for optimal roster building. If the hypothetical money is right, it seems worth the risk.

Asked about career decisions Wacha might have to make down the line, Wong said he would not attempt to influence his friend. But he’s adamant about the pitcher’s importance to the new core.