St. Louis Cardinals: Redbird Rants All-Star Break Summit

4.Who is a bullpen piece you think the Cardinals should acquire?

Josh: Pat Neshek. This is an easy one for me. Neshek offers you a solid bullpen piece that you can use in all kinds of spots and he shouldn’t cost all that much. While Neshek’s stats may make it seem like he should cost more, he is also quite old and that drives his value down considerable. Offer the Phillies a minor leaguer or two you won’t be upset with parting with and get your bullpen some help.

Dr. Miles: I really would like the Cards to bring Neshek back. That said, a few clubs are targeting him, so the negotiations could become prohibitive for the Cardinals

Tito: The Cardinals should acquire Felipe Rivero from the Pirates. A left-hander who throws in the upper 90s to 100? Sign me up. Unfortunately, the Cardinals would be reluctant to trade in division, but if they can get Rivero for the right price, I’d entertain the offer.

I know that name is a bit of a stretch, but there really isn’t anything else out there appealing to me. Maybe Justin Wilson of the Tigers, but I’m not sold on him. You could move Wacha to bullpen and groom him as a late inning option, but I digress.

Nathan: Pat Neshek. He’s having an excellent year with the Phillies as a set-up man, and was rewarded with another All-Star selection as a result. He was lights-out in the Cardinals bullpen two seasons ago, and they’ve sorely needed bullpen help all season.

Because the Phillies are out of the picture, he’s likely to move somewhere this month, so I’d expect a more serious contender to make a play for Neshek instead of the Cardinals. Nevertheless, a reunion is intriguing.

Brendan: The New York Mets are off to a disappointing start, and they might be convinced to move some non-essential pieces of their roster for the right return. Reliever Addison Reed could be available. Given there are no real closers on the market, this may be the right move for the Cards. Cecil is heating up, but they’d still like to add some stability to this pen and Reed could fit the bill.

Shane: Pat Neshek. An All-Star for the Cardinals in 2014, Neshek has turned in an even better season with the Phillies in 2017. He carries a 1.31 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP, and if you dig deeper his dominance would be even more clear.

The fans would appreciate the move, and his price wouldn’t be too high. Acquiring Neshek would provide the Cardinals with a reliever, not named Rosenthal or Cecil, who could man the 7th or 8th. Guys like Matt Bowman and Kevin Siegrist are not going to cut it anymore in the high leverage situations.

Dan: Zack Duke?  The real answer is the Cardinals shouldn’t buy in this market because the cost will be too high.  If you can somehow get Victor Robles from the Nationals or Lewis Brinson from the Brewers, you should consider selling a bullpen asset.

The Cardinals should think long and hard about the haul the Yankees got for Chapman and Miller, and consider offers for a comparable return for Oh or Rosenthal (or even Cecil).  These arms are replaceable in the system, by many hard-throwers or by future starters to get some early MLB exposure.

Christian: Brad Brach. A solid right-hander buried behind elite closer, Zach Britton, Brach has been solid as both a set-up man and a fill-in closer for the Orioles. He has 15 saves in 19 opportunities and carries a solid 2.58 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 38.1 innings and 38 appearances for the Orioles this season, and has carried a consistency over the past season and a half the Cardinals have desperately lacked.

On top of that, the presence of Britton and Darren O’Day on the Orioles roster gives the Cardinals an opportunity to snag the 31-year-old Brach for relatively cheap. While it would be much easier to acquire O’Day for a similar payoff, the value of Brach’s consistency and the potential he has as a closer makes him a much more appealing target given the Cardinals situation.

Trevor: See question 3.  Justin Wilson would do great things in the back-end of the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen.  I have personally seen him throw several times and he composes himself like the real deal on the mound.  Even if things go slightly wrong, he is calm, cool, and collected.   This can be seen when he blew two saves in a row last month, but just as easily righted his track the next outing.  That is not as common as it should be in the closer role.

Larry: I’d like reliever Brad Hand from the Padres, if the Yankees don’t make a ridiculous offer. Hand’s good for two and a half more years until he’s a 2020 free agent. I would love to get Kyle Barraclough back. I think the guy is hitting his stride and could be a major player over the next few years in our bullpen.