Robert Gsellman might be option for St. Louis Cardinals

As the St. Louis Cardinals look for bullpen upgrades, one option could be right-hander Robert Gsellman.

At this point, if you’re an avid Redbird Rants reader, you’ll know that the St. Louis Cardinals’ top priority the remainder of the winter is going to be upgrading the bullpen.

They have been connected to Ryan Tepera and Joe Kelly, though both will come with a $6-7 million per year price tag on a multi-year deal. Another option could be Robert Gsellman, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gsellman was recently non-tendered by the New York Mets. The right-hander appeared in only 17 games last season, posting a 3.77 ERA and 17/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17.2 innings. However, Gsellman presents many of the traits that the Cardinals covet in their relievers. He has a high groundball rate. His sinker, which he throws more than 60 percent of the time, averages 93-94 mph.

That, quite frankly, is the prototypical Cardinals reliever. And after they lost Luis Garcia to the San Diego Padres, Gsellman could fill that role. He would be cheaper than Garcia, who signed a $7 million deal over two seasons, and would maintain the Cardinals’ flexibility to add Kelly or Tepera.

Such a combo would go a long way toward solidifying the Cardinals’ bullpen. It would also give the Cardinals another reliever with upside and given his age (28), he would have an opportunity to earn a long-term position in the bullpen. It would then shift their offseason focus to adding another hitter (Albert Pujols if the universal DH is implemented?) or a fourth outfielder.

Of course, such moves can’t be made until the CBA is eventually agreed to. That figures to be a matter of months, so Gsellman to St. Louis is not imminent. But it’s a move that the Cardinals’ front office should strongly consider when they are able to make it — and given Goold’s report, appears to be something they are indeed considering.