Inside The Cardinals

Ex-Cardinals Hurler's Market Heating Up; Could Reunion Be In Play?

St. Louis could benefit from investing in the young flamethrower

Scott Neville

Ex-Cardinals Hurler's Market Heating Up; Could Reunion Be In Play?
Ex-Cardinals Hurler's Market Heating Up; Could Reunion Be In Play? /
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Could the St. Louis Cardinals put the finishing touches on their big-league roster by bringing back one of the most-coveted players from last season's roster?

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has expressed his desire to add some high-leverage bullpen pieces and reportedly would like to add one more after trading for Andrew Kittredge last week.

One of the top relievers available reportedly is starting to receive some serious interest and could be close to picking his next team. 

"Jordan Hicks market picking up," The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Tuesday night. "Most of the best relievers remain free. (Josh) Hader is the top guy but there’s also Hicks, (Robert) Stephenson, (Phil) Maton, (Aroldis) Chapman, Matt Moore, (Ryan) Brasier, (Jakob) Junis, (John) Brebbia, (Shintaro) Fujinami, (Brad) Hand, more."

Hicks posted a 3.29 ERA with an 81-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .231 batting average against and 1.36 WHIP in 65 2/3 innings last season between the Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.

The 27-year-old could contribute to a bullpen that already features impressive hurlers such as Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Jojo Romero and Kittredge. While the concept is nice and St. Louis had shown interest in keeping Hicks long-term both at the trade deadline and in free agency, don't hold your breath.

The Cardinals do not plan to make any more notable additions to the payroll and are looking for a cost-effective reliever in the $5 million range. Realistic options under that criteria would include Maton, Moore and Brasier among others. 

More MLB: Ex-Cardinals Reliever Available After Strong Season; Reunion Would Make Sense

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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