Cardinals Linked To Trio Of High-Leverage Relievers To Help Fix Bullpen

It sounds like St. Louis is showing interest in three high-leverage free-agent relievers

The St. Louis Cardinals have some serious work to do to help fix the bullpen this offseason.

St. Louis already has improved the roster on paper by signing Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson. The Cardinals' offense is in a good spot already so now the biggest roster question mark is who will be in the bullpen.

The Cardinals had one of the worst bullpens in baseball and desperately need to improve it this offseason. The free-agent reliever market has been extremely slow this offseason and three hurlers who have been linked to the club are Josh Hader, Jordan Hicks, and Robert Stephenson, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"(Josh Hader), 29, isn't the only reliever facing a slow market, Passan said. "At 27, right-hander Jordan Hicks is the youngest domestic free agent available and runs his fastball up to 105 mph. Following his June 2 trade to Tampa Bay, right-hander Robert Stephenson struck out 42.9% of batters he faced and walked just 5.7%, positively silly numbers. While the market for both recently started to pick up, it's hard to square the notion that the three best relievers are still available in a game that relies so much on bullpens.

"Whether it's the (New York Yankees), (Philadelphia Phillies), (San Francisco Giants), (Los Angeles Angels), (Texas Rangers), (Los Angeles Dodgers), Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, or perhaps another front office that sees the opportunity for a smart deal, teams trying to win understand how much better their bullpens will be with any of the three."

Hader is the best reliever available. He has been one of the best hurlers in baseball and is a five-time All-Star and three-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award winner. 

If the Cardinals fail to bring in the fireballer, landing either Hicks or Stephenson would be a great place to start. Don't be surprised if the Cardinals land at least one of the three this offseason.

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