Cardinals Could Jump Into Bidding War For Hurler To Bolster Bullpen

St. Louis might have one more move left

Scott Neville | Jan 27, 2024

Cardinals Could Jump Into Bidding War For Hurler To Bolster Bullpen /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals got off to a fast start in free agency, signing three starting pitchers before most teams could make a single move.

Since then, however, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has moved at a snail's pace.

The trade of Tyler O'Neill brought some pitching depth and the trade for right-hander Andrew Kittredge shored up the back-end of the bullpen. With that said, the goal remains to add one more high-leverage arm alongside Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and Jojo Romero.

The market reportedly is heating up for one of the best players in their projected price range, former Houston Astros right-hander Ryne Stanek.

The 32-year-old is receiving interest from both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Thursday.

The Cardinals would be wise to get involved before the bidding war reaches its apex.

Stanek posted a 4.09 ERA with a 51-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .221 batting average against and a 1.24 WHIP in 50 2/3 innings last season.

While St. Louis would welcome that level of production coming off of a season in which the bullpen posted a cumulative 4.47 ERA, the ceiling for Stanek is much higher.

The right-hander recorded a 1.15 ERA with a 62-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .188 batting average against and a 1.23 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings in 2022 as a pivotal member of the Astros World Series run.

That season appears to be somewhat of a fluke but the 32-year-old has a 142 ERA+ over the last three seasons -- meaning he's been 42% better than league average over the aforementioned span.

St. Louis needs to infuse as much talent into the pitching staff as possible after a last-place finish in the National League Central.

Not only would Stanek improve the Cardinals but his acquisition would prevent him from landing with the rival Cubs -- a nice bonus.

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Published Jan 27, 2024

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