Keynan Middleton Contract: Reported Details Of Hurlers Intriguing Deal With Cardinals

St. Louis found an affordable deal for an impact arm

Scott Neville | Feb 6, 2024

Keynan Middleton Contract: Reported Details Of Hurlers Intriguing Deal With Cardinals /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals spent most of the offseason waiting out the reliever market to find affordable yet impactful arms following an early flurry of starting pitcher acquisitions.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak eventually found Andrew Kittredge via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and then held off until February to make what is presumed to be the final notable signing of the offseason: agreeing to terms with right-hander Keynan Middleton.

We have since learned about the specific contract details of the deal, which are favorable for St. Louis.

Middleton will earn $5 million in 2024. The Cardinals then have a $6 million club option for 2025 with a $1 million buyout according to ESPN.

The 30-year-old hurler posted a 3.38 ERA with a 64-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .214 batting average against and a 1.24 WHIP in 50 2/3 innings between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees last season.

It's hard to get a better deal for a high-leverage reliever coming off a career year than the one St. Louis just pulled off. Many in the industry believe there is no such thing as a bad one-year deal -- which is certainly true at this price point.

Should Middleton underperform next season, they can cut him loose for a drop in the bucket. If he continues to produce at his 2023 level or even close, they can accept the club option and get an impactful bullpen addition for two years at only $11 million.

Mozeliak might have frustrated some fans by taking so long but his holdout appears to have been worth it.

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Published Feb 6, 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