Ex-Yankees Star Lefty Available; Cardinals Could Make Move To Help Ailing Bullpen

Should the Cardinals sign a former Yankees star?

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have not been what many expected them to be so far this season. 

St. Louis entered the 2023 season widely expected to finish atop the National League Central standings for the second year in a row after winning 93 games in 2022 and returning much of the same roster this season. Things haven't gone as planned and the Cardinals currently are 25-34 through 59 games played so far this season and are in last place in the NL Central. 

The Cardinals are just six and a half games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, but the club certainly is going to need to make a change if it wants to pull itself up from the gutter. One reason for the Cardinals' struggles has been the backend of the bullpen.

St. Louis already has the third-most blown saves of any club this season with 13. The Cardinals are behind just the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals in blown saves this season and have blown half of their save opportunities this season. 

If the Cardinals wanted to make an external addition, one player who could make sense is former New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles star left-handed reliever Zack Britton. 

The 35-year-old is a two-time All-Star and was one of baseball's most dominant left-handed relievers at one point. He's a 12-year veteran with a career of 3.13 ERA and five seasons with an ERA below 2.00. He has appeared in just 25 games over the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery but now is healthy and looking for a new club. 

Britton has held showcases for interested clubs, but still is available as a free agent and likely wouldn't cost much at all. He had three seasons in a row with at least 36 saves and even led the American League with 47 in 2016, but after joining the Yankees moved mainly to a setup role. If he's truly healthy and even a fragment of what he once was, he could help the backend of the Cardinals' bullpen. At this point anything could help, so why not take a chance on a former All-Star trying to work his way back? 

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