St. Louis Cardinals sign lefty pitcher Wade LeBlanc

The St. Louis Cardinals added some much-needed pitching depth by signing Wade LeBlanc to join the bullpen. LeBlanc’s versatility will be important for the team.

In a minor move on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals signed veteran pitcher Wade LeBlanc. While it’s not a headline-grabbing addition or one that will likely garner a lot of attention, it’s important for a team that needs all the depth they can find right now, especially on the pitching side.

LeBlanc has appeared in six games in the 2021 season with the Baltimore Orioles, including one start. His versatility can be a plus to the Cardinals, because he has experience both starting and relieving. He is also a lefty. For his career, he has appeared in 246 games of which 121 have been starts. That’s almost a 50/50 split.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced the acquisition on their official Twitter account.

While the trade deadline will be coming down the tracks sooner rather than later, the Cardinals couldn’t afford to wait another month to add help to the pitching staff. LeBlanc could be just the start to add some options to the organization both in the major leagues and possibly minor leagues as well. The St. Louis Cardinals also announced they signed pitcher Brandon Dickson to a minor league deal. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Dickson briefly appeared with the Cardinals back in their 2011 World Series title season, and also a few games in 2012.

With Wade LeBlanc now in the fold, the team has another reliable bullpen option and also someone they could easily stretch out to become a starter if needed. It’s not flashy but it’s a great low-risk and high-reward move.

Regardless of how the Cardinals use him, LeBlanc figures to get some innings. As the third lefty in the bullpen behind Genesis Cabrera and Andrew Miller, he might find himself in somewhat of a long-relief role instead of a traditional lefty bullpen role.

The St. Louis Cardinals quietly upgraded their team on Thursday. Signing LeBlanc won’t be the difference-maker for the Cardinals, but he can help eat some innings for a team that needs pitching depth. His ability to start or relieve gives the Cardinals options with their new lefty pitcher.