Cardinals Urged To Poach $6.5 Million Hurler From Mets By Insider

The Cardinals certainly will add some pieces this winter

Mar 26, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; The New York Mets logo stands in center field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals likely won't be making any splashy additions to the organization this winter.

St. Louis will need to add to the organization in some capacity, especially as it starts to cut ties with expensive veterans. The Cardinals likely will add some short-term money to the books this winter that doesn't extend beyond the 2025 season.

The Belleville News-Democrat's Jeff Jones put together an intriguing list of three players that could make sense for St. Louis and fit within its budget. One player Jones mentioned was former New York Mets reliever Phil Maton.

"Maton was a target of the Cardinals last winter, and he ultimately agreed to a deal in free agency with the Tampa Bay Rays which saw him earn more than $6 million from the Rays and Mets in addition to a $250,000 buyout of a mutual option for 2025," Jones said. "The Cardinals will almost certainly not approach that price tag with a free agent reliever this winter, but if Maton’s number comes down after an uneven year (mediocre with Tampa, great with the Mets in the regular season, shaky in the postseason), the two sides could well re-engage...

"Andrew Kittredge’s likely departure in free agency opens up an obvious spot in the bullpen. The Cardinals could well choose to throw bulk arms at that vacancy and give part-time pitchers a real shot; Chris Roycroft will receive some priority innings next season, Ryan Loutos remains on the 40-player roster, and Zack Thompson is out of minor league options."

Maton made over $6 million in 2024, as Jones noted. He began the season with the Ray and eventually joined the Mets. Overall, he logged a 3.66 ERA across 71 appearances. That's production that could help the Cardinals' bullpen.

More MLB: Dodgers $8 Million World Series Hero Should Be Cardinals' Top Priority