3 free agents the St Louis Cardinals should avoid post-lockout

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St Louis Cardinals executive John Mozeliak has his eye on certain players once the MLB lockout ends. Here are some to avoid.

St Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak appears to have his eye on certain free agents once the MLB lockout ends and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached between the union and owners.

The team will most likely seek out a couple of relievers, possibly another starter, and maybe even a proven hitter to become a designated hitter. The Cardinals are likely to shop the free-agent market with some gusto before thinking of trading for players.

The team is reportedly considering Ryan Tepera. After him, it’s really anyone’s guess who Mozeliak will consider. Anyone from Colin Moran to Archie Bradley could be options for the array of needs the club will have post-lockout. It will be quite the show once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached and baseball activities can resume with new deals to be reached for players available. Get your popcorn ready. It’s going to be wild!

While there are many ideal candidates available via the free-agent market, there are several who are duds that the Cardinals should absolutely avoid at all costs.

Let’s take a look at some of the pitchers the Cardinals should avoid at all costs.

Pedro Strop

Pedro Strop, 36, is a 13-season veteran relief pitcher. Strop spent the 2020 season with the Cincinnati Reds and the rest of the time, including the 2021 season, has been spent with the Chicago Cubs.

This is the primary reason I find this free agent to be a dud. As a Cardinal fan, I’ve always found him exasperating.

During the 2021 season, Strop pitched in two games going 1-0, throwing two innings and three strikeouts. Over the course of his career, Strop has pitched 561 games, going 29-30 with 32 saves in 505.2 innings, tossing 554 strikeouts.

For Strop’s career, he has a large pitch arsenal – a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a slider, and a sinker. He recently cut a splitter from his selection of pitches. It would be interesting to see how he would have faired in an environment that would have had him narrow down his selection to off-speed pitches. He would have had to have more trust in the defense behind him, though. He never had the best defense behind him with the Chicago Cubs.

While Strop is a free agent, he would not be a good fit with the Cardinals. He would be a dud in the Cardinals system. He will most likely return for a one-year incentive-filled contract with the Cubs or retire.

Derek Holland

At one time, it would have been intriguing to see a reunion between Derek Holland and Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux.

The pair worked together during their time with the Texas Rangers. During the 2011 World Series, Holland was seemingly a constant recipient of the

claw

calming hand Maddux uses to get a sense of how his pitcher is feeling on the mound.

It would have been fun to see, but Holland’s effectiveness has dropped significantly.

The lefty spent the 2021 season with the Detroit Tigers. He uses a sinker, a four-seam fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. Holland’s sinker averages 93.1 mph with a vertical drop of 17.5-inches and an active spin of 99%. But his curveball averages 81.4 mph with a vertical drop of 37.7-inches and an active spin of 18%.

It will be interesting to see what happens for Holland once baseball activities resume post-lockout. He could easily get a minor league deal to work on his stuff. If he does receive a major league deal it would have to be short-term and incentive-based.

Brad Hand

Brad Hand, a 31-year-old lefty, had a difficult 2021 season having spent time with three clubs over the course of the season including the New York Mets.

In 68 games, he was 6-7 in 64.2 innings with 21 saves, three holds, and eight blown saves. He gave up 26 walks but struck out 61. He had a 27.7% called-strike rate.

Hand has a four-seam fastball, a sinker, and a slider. Hand’s slider averages 80.1 mph with a 45.6-inch vertical drop with an active spin of 63%. The fastball averages 92.9 mph with a 16.7-inch vertical drop with an active spin of 89%. Hand’s sinker averages 93 mph with a 22.9-inch vertical drop with an active spin of 91%.

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It does seem like he has off-speed stuff but it’s ineffective. It would be interesting to see him get an opportunity to work on those off-speed pitches and develop trust in a good defense behind him. But, the Cardinals have had their share of frustrating relievers over the years. Hand would be that in St. Louis, without a doubt.

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