Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Could Bolster Bullpen By Adding Ex-Astros High-Leverage Hurler

St. Louis could use a notable influx of talent

Scott Neville

Cardinals Could Bolster Bullpen By Adding Ex-Astros High-Leverage Hurler
Cardinals Could Bolster Bullpen By Adding Ex-Astros High-Leverage Hurler /
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Could the St. Louis Cardinals acquire a proven high-leverage reliever coming off a stellar season?

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has been adamant in his quest to bolster the club's pitching staff after a disappointing last-place finish in the National League Central a season ago. 

Thus far, he's already shored up the rotation -- though question marks remain regarding how much of an improvement he actually made -- and appears to be focused on adding to the bullpen.

Mozeliak reportedly has interest in adding a high-leverage reliever to the back of the bullpen and would ideally like to add two. With Sonny Gray's back-loaded deal, St. Louis could look to invest in a veteran hurler who could make a notable impact on a short-term deal. 

With that criteria in mind, former Houston Astros right-hander Hector Neris appears to be a strong fit. 

Neris posted a 1.71 ERA (246 ERA+) with a 77-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .174 batting average against and 1.05 WHIP in 68 1/3 innings for the Astros last season.

The 34-year-old cannot be counted on to produce at that level moving forward but his career 3.24 ERA and 129 ERA+ over his 10-year career is plenty of evidence to suggest he could be a solid high-leverage option alongside Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero in the back of the bullpen. 

Making a small investment in Neris could prove to be extremely valuable as the season progresses. Every team needs bullpen help once the season commences, now is the time to acquire it.

Neris is a prime example of a low-risk, high-reward signing that St. Louis would be wise to make.

More MLB: Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt Takes Ambiguous Stance On Extension Talks

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu