4 relief pitchers the St. Louis Cardinals should target after the lockout

DENVER, CO - JULY 03: Pitching coach Mike Maddux of the St. Louis Cardinals visits Genesis Cabrera #92 on the mound in the seventh inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 03: Pitching coach Mike Maddux of the St. Louis Cardinals visits Genesis Cabrera #92 on the mound in the seventh inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 12: Relief pitcher Matt Strahm #55 of the San Diego Padres throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 12, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 12: Relief pitcher Matt Strahm #55 of the San Diego Padres throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 12, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

Matt Strahm

After an injury-shortened season with knee issues, Matt Strahm was non-tendered by the San Diego Padres, making the 30-year-old lefty a free agent.

In 2021, Strahm pitched in six games with 6.2 innings thrown, going 0-1 with four strikeouts. Obviously, not great numbers. In his six-season career, Strahm has pitched in 157 games, going 13-24 with 273 strikeouts with a 3.81 ERA.

Strahm relies on a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, a sinker, and a change-up. Strahm could be a potentially good project for pitching coach Mike Maddux and catcher Yadier Molina. The pair could work with the lefty to narrow down his pitch selection and get him to feel comfortable with the Gold Glove defense behind him.

It would be interesting to see if he could be a mid-innings pitcher or possibly work as a piggyback with another pitcher as an opener.