Cardinals Should Consider Reuniting With Former Southpaw To Bolster Bullpen

St. Louis could use another lefty reliever

Aug 30, 2018; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Chasen Shreve (40) pitches during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals season isn't going the way the organization hoped it would after retooling the pitching staff in the winter but at least the bullpen is still going strong.

In a season filled with inconsistent production from the offense and rotation, the bullpen has remained a stronghold for the club -- ranking No. 9 in the league with a 3.70 ERA.

Regardless, the bullpen still has room for improvement and a recently made available reliever could be a solid depth option worth pursuing.

Former St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Chasen Shreve became a free agent Wednesday after going unclaimed from being designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies. He then rejected an outright assignment and chose to elect free agency.

Shreve posted a 2-2 record with a 3.78 ERA, 18-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .255 batting average against and a 1.56 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings pitched for the Cardinals across two seasons.

The 34-year-old's time in St. Louis was short-lived after Shreve was put on an outright assignment to Triple-A Memphis in the summer of 2019 but was released by the end of the season.

Since leaving St. Louis, Shreve has bounced around to multiple organizations but hasn't planted his feet anywhere for more than one season -- despite recording fairly respectable stats.

Throughout his career, Shreve has logged a 22-14 record with a 3.96 ERA, 387-to-166 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .233 batting average against and a 1.34 WHIP.

With only three southpaws in the Cardinals bullpen -- John King, Matthew Liberatore and JoJo Romero -- adding Shreve into the mix would expand St. Louis' options for specific scenarios when a left-handed pitcher is needed.

Although Shreve has pitched only one inning in the majors all season, his track record speaks for itself and it might be worth signing him to an economical short-term deal to see what he has left in the tank.

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