Rumored Cardinals Target Officially Lands Deal With Padres Ending Possible Pursuit

One former Cardinals target officially has found himself a new home

What will the St. Louis Cardinals do next this offseason?

St. Louis already has been one of the most active teams in free agency. The Cardinals already are in a much better spot than they were in the 2023 season came to an end.

The Cardinals needed to improve the starting rotation and have done just. St. Louis added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson and now the Cardinals need to work on other areas of the roster.

There's arguably no bigger hole on the roster for the Cardinals right now than the bullpen. Some would argue that the Cardinals still should add one more starter, but St. Louis desperately needs to improve the bullpen.

St. Louis had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season but luckily for the club, there still are plenty of hurlers available. Although this is the case, one rumored target officially is off the board as the San Diego Padres landed former Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles stud Yuki Matsui, according to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale.

"The San Diego Padres hit the free agent market, sign (left-handed pitcher) Yuki Matsui to a five-year, $28 million contract," Nightengale said. "They have plenty more holes to fill with about $20 million left in the budget for 2024 payroll."

Matsui was one of the most intriguing relievers on the market but now has landed with the Padres. He spent the last 10 seasons with the Golden Eagles and had a career 2.43 ERA and logged 236 saves, including a career-high 39 in 2023. 

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