Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Reportedly Share 'Mutual Interest' With High-Leverage Hurler On Re-Signing

St. Louis wants to see what the pitcher can do next year

Nate Hagerty

Aug 5, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during the first inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 5, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during the first inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The St. Louis Cardinals are mainly focused on getting back into the win column again as the season winds down and we inch closer to free agency.

Last winter was a busy offseason for the Cardinals as they looked to bounce back from a tumultuous 71-91 record season by retooling the pitching staff.

Unfortunately, one of the hurlers acquired last winter hasn't pitched a single inning this season due to injury but it looks like St. Louis hasn't given up on him yet.

"There's mutual interest in working something out with Keynan Middleton," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold wrote Monday when answering questions from Cardinals fans.

Middleton signed with the Cardinals as a free agent this past offseason but he suffered a right forearm flexor strain during spring training that ended his 2024 campaign before it began.

The 30-year-old reliever has posted a 10-8 record with a 3.84 ERA, 199-to-85 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .242 batting average against and a 1.34 WHIP throughout his seven-season career, during which he played for the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

The Cardinals have Middleton signed to a $6 million club option for 2025 with a $1 million buyout but after having surgery on his throwing arm, re-signing him is a bit of a risk.

Still, his contract for next season is fairly priced and he could return just as good, if not better, than before. Middleton has great potential as a member of the Cardinals' bullpen and hopefully, fans will get to see him dominate for St. Louis next year.

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Interested In Re-Signing Superstar Despite Declining Performance

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Nate Hagerty

NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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