1 perfect free agent still available for the Cardinals to sign

St. Louis Cardinals fans were shocked and surprised to say the least upon hearing that the team finally made a move, signing reliever Phil Maton last week. Although it is unlikely for the team to continue spending, the Cardinals shouldn’t stop with Phil Maton. One of the best free-agent relievers is still available, and the Cardinals shouldn’t think twice about signing him. David Robertson would be a perfect fit for this team and at the very least would be a valuable contributor until July, where he could be pawned off for pieces to improve the organization’s prospect pipeline.

To begin with, David Robertson had a great 2024 season with the Texas Rangers. Robertson was a workhorse out of the bullpen, making 68 appearances and pitching 72 innings. In those appearances, Robertson totaled a 3.00 ERA, made two saves, and earned 34 holds. Robertson’s 34 holds ranked him in a tie for third in the major leagues, trailing only Bryan Abreu and Andrew Kittredge, despite making fewer appearances than the two.

While Robertson was primarily used as a setup man to Kirby Yates last season, he has the ability to close games on his own as well. Robertson has 177 saves to his name throughout his career, including three seasons posting 34 saves or more. Although Robertson is set to turn 40 very soon, his stuff still plays. In 2024 Robertson ranked in the top 96th percentile in both fastball run value and strikeout rate, striking out batters one-third of the time according to Baseball Savant. If you don’t believe these stats, just ask Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani. In back-to-back appearances versus the Dodgers last season, Robertson struck out all three of them consecutively. That’s right, Robertson struck out the best one, two, and three lineup in all of baseball one after another for two straight games in a row.

Why would Robertson be a perfect fit for the Cardinals? Robertson provides the Cardinals with versatility, flexibility, and tremendous talent. Making a move for Robertson could bolster the Cardinals bullpen, as he is capable as a setup man and a closer. But making a move for Robertson could also open up the team to trading Ryan Helsley, as his value remains sky-high but his future with the team remains uncertain. Although Robertson wouldn’t be quite as good as Helsley, he could easily post 25-30 saves for the Cardinals in 2025 if given the opportunity.

If the Cardinals decided not to move on from Helsley, Robertson would still have so much to provide the team. He would easily strengthen the Cardinals bullpen, as he was one of baseball’s best setup men last season, and his veteran presence would also provide a wealth of value to young pitchers in the clubhouse. Furthermore, if the Cardinals found themselves out of contention once again, he would fetch a significant prospect in return for his services throughout the second half of the season. In all ways, signing David Robertson would be a win-win for the Cardinals; it’s just a matter of them pulling the trigger.