Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals, Cubs Among Clubs Looking To Land Veteran Hurler After Bounce-Back Season

St. Louis will have plenty of competition for one of its rumored free agent targets

Patrick McAvoy

Cardinals, Cubs Among Clubs Looking To Land Veteran Hurler After Bounce-Back Season
Cardinals, Cubs Among Clubs Looking To Land Veteran Hurler After Bounce-Back Season /
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The St. Louis Cardinals already have added to the bullpen this offseason, but more work needs to be done.

St. Louis landed former All-Star Andrew Kittredge recently in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays but the club still could use one or two more relievers to help boost the bullpen. 

The Cardinals have made it known recently that they are targeting bullpen help and are among a handful of teams that are very active in the free-agent market. St. Louis doesn't want to spend heavily and reportedly doesn't want to hand out a deal with an annual value of over $5 million.

Luckily for the Cardinals, there still are plenty of solid options available that fit their price range and could help improve the bullpen. One player who has been linked to the Cardinals is former Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Ryan Brasier, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. 

"Ryan Brasier market: Cardinals, (Baltimore Orioles), (Texas Rangers), Dodgers, Angels, (Chicago Cubs)," Heyman said. "Brasier had a 0.70 ERA (627 ERA plus) with the Dodgers in 2023.

This isn't the first time St. Louis has been linked to the veteran this offseason. Brasier is a seven-year veteran and had a bounce-back season in 2023. The campaign didn't start off well with Boston as Brasier logged a 7.29 ERA in 20 outings leading to his release.

He landed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal and worked his way back up to the big leagues. The 36-year-old completely turned things around and had a 0.70 ERA and 38-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 39 appearances with Los Angeles. 

Brasier seemed like he could be on his way out of the big leagues but now is highly sought-after in free agency. If he could continue his hot streak from the end of the season with Los Angeles, he could be a solid pickup for St. Louis. 

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu