4 relief pitchers the St. Louis Cardinals should consider

Alex Reyes #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals walks off the field after allowing a walk-off three-run home run to Yoshi Tsutsugo #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) in the ninth inning during the game at PNC Park on August 29, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Alex Reyes #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals walks off the field after allowing a walk-off three-run home run to Yoshi Tsutsugo #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) in the ninth inning during the game at PNC Park on August 29, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 02: Archie Bradley #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 02: Archie Bradley #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Archie Bradley

While Archie Bradley ended his season with the Philadelphia Phillies with an oblique injury in late September, he is certainly an interesting option for closing or late innings relief.

Bradley threw 51 innings for the Phillies in 2021 but has 463 innings in his 6 years of service. In his age 28 season, he was 7-3 with two saves and 13 holds in 53 games. He leaves 75.4% of runners on base and induces 55.7% grounders. This would be a good pairing with the Cardinals’ Gold Glove infield defense. He had 40 strikeouts as well.

While his numbers in 2021 were down due to injuries, he does have a career 27.2 swinging strike percentage. Not bad for someone who could fit in as a potentially low-cost late innings man.

Bradley mostly depends on a four-seam fastball and a sinker but has a curveball and changeup to throw batters off. He would be quite the pairing with Yadier Molina as well.

According to MLBTradeRumors.com, there does not appear to be much interest in the reliever at this time. Due to his injuries, he may be a late option to pick up for a team looking for relief pitching.