Cardinals News: St. Louis acquires Steve Cishek from Miami

In a typical midseason buy-low move, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired reliever Steve Cishek from the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon.

Cishek, who lost the Marlins’ closer job earlier this season before being optioned to the Minors, has been one of the premier ninth-inning options in recent years.

From 2012 to 2014, the right-hander racked up 88 saves, pitching to a  2.63 FIP while averaging over 10 punchouts per nine innings pitched.

Last season, the 29-year-old set a career-high with 39 saves to go along with a career-best 4.00 strikeout-to-walk mark, as well.

However, with the Marlins occupying the cellar of the National League East, it makes sense for the team to move on, and the Cardinals certainly appear to have jumped at the right time, only trading Double-A reliever Kyle Barraclough.

This season, between High-A Palm Beach and Double-A Johnson City, the 225-pound righty has posted a 2.25 ERA in 39 2/3 innings of work, limiting opposing hitters to a minuscule .194 clip in the process.

In a piece I penned Thursday night, I called Cishek a “decent back-up plan” for the Redbirds, who already enjoy the best bullpen in the National League – and the second-best in baseball behind only the Kansas City Royals.

Cishek is set to his arbitration this offseason and, given his struggles, he should remain very cost effective for whatever team controls his services moving forward.

This is another typical John Mozeliak-style move; similar to the one we saw involving Edward Mujica a few years back. With the high work load that several of the club’s arms have endured already this season, adding a piece like Cishek is a no-brainer.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?