Ex-Cardinals Hurler Leaving St. Louis For $10 Million Orioles Deal

The former Cardinals hurler is leaving the team to sign with the Orioles

May 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A Baltimore Orioles hat and glove rest on the dugout rail during a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to need to take a hard look at the bullpen this offseason.

On the bright side, the Cardinals and star closer Ryan Helsley avoided arbitration on Thursday with an $8.2 million deal. On the negative side, free agent setup man Andrew Kittredge isn't going to be re-joining the club for the 2025 season.

Kittredge entered free agency after the 2024 season and there was some chatter that the club at least had some level of interest in a reunion. This isn't too shocking as he was even better than the team could've hoped for in 2024. He logged a 2.80 ERA across 74 appearances while helping the Cardinals create one of the best bullpens in baseball.

Unfortunately, he won't be back in 2025 and reportedly signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

"Free-agent reliever Andrew Kittredge in agreement with Orioles on one-year, $10M contract, source tells The Athletic," Rosenthal said. "Kittredge’s guarantee includes $9M in salary and a $1M buyout on a $9M club option."

The Orioles have been one of the teams rumored to be in the market for bullpen help. Baltimore's bullpen had the 23rd-ranked ERA in 2024 at 4.22 so it's not shocking it wanted to make a splash. Kittredge absolutely should be able to help them turn things around.

What are the Cardinals going to do? There are players out there who could replace Kittredge but at this point, it doesn't seem like St. Louis is going to bring anyone in.

More MLB: Cardinals 'Close' To Multi-Year Deal With 27-Year-Old, Per Insider