The St. Louis Cardinals should add Will Smith for 2019

The St. Louis Cardinals have been fervently searching for a quality lefty bullpen piece that can offer them stability in the later innings. News from Mark Saxon alluded to a potential trade opportunity involving closer/setup man Will Smith. The Giants could be willing to trade the 29-year-old lefty as they face a probable rebuild scenario.

The St. Louis Cardinals necessity for a left-handed reliever that can consistently retire left-handed batters out of the ‘pen has been a pressing issue for the Cardinals for the past few years. That job was handed to Brett Cecil in the offseason of 2016 in the form of a 4 year, $30.5 million contract.

However, Cecil has performed vastly below expectations in the past 2 seasons, posting a 6.89 ERA while giving up more walks than he had strikeouts last season.

Other left-handed relievers currently on the roster like Chasen Shreve and Tyler Webb have impressive at times, but haven’t been the primary options in high leverage situations.

Heading into next season, it seems imperative for the St. Louis Cardinals to fill their need for a left-handed reliever. With Cecil possibly facing a DFA if he continues his underwhelming performance and Shreve/Webb unable to fulfill that bullpen role, a guy like Will Smith seems to be an attractive piece to add.

News surfaced about a probable trade target in Will Smith in which Mark Saxon described the Cardinals as “among the most aggressive pursuers.”

Smith is coming off a very solid year for the Giants in which he converted 14 saves and posted 12.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. He made his season debut on May 2 after recovering from Tommy John surgery during the 2017 season, and started as one of the primary late innings option. He eventually took over the closing job in late June, and never looked back.

The 6’5″ lefty features a fastball that sits in the low to mid 90’s paired with a wipe-out slider and a serviceable curveball. His slider in particular has been his most dominant pitch, boasting an BAA of .116 and a .118 slugging percentage against.

Another positive is his effectiveness not only against both sides of the plate. He held left-handed batters to a mere .171 batting average in 70 at bats, but also showed he can consistently retire right-handed hitters in the order as well. In 121 at-bats against Smith, righties hit only a tick higher than his previously noted performance against lefties, at just .207.

With an uncertain bullpen situation and roles that haven’t been clearly defined for guys contributing in the pen, one thing would be certain. Will Smith can get outs when called upon, which would make him a valuable upgrade to this St. Louis Cardinals bullpen.