Cardinals Rumors: Could St. Louis sign Trevor Rosenthal?

Some people inside the St. Louis Cardinals organization would reportedly “love” to sign veteran free-agent reliever Trevor Rosenthal.

The top priority for the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline should be to upgrade the bullpen. I believe that they should add one, perhaps two, arms to a unit that is in desperate need (once again) of new life in the late innings.

But Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes that the Cardinals could also look to free agency to upgrade the bullpen, as he writes that “some in the organization would love” to see them sign veteran reliever Trevor Rosenthal.

Admittedly, Rosenthal is not a name that I had considered. But it makes sense. Rosenthal, 32, is trying to make a comeback. He’s believed to be healthy and is in the mid-90s. He should come cheap and has an extensive history with the Cardinals, as he posted a 2.99 ERA in six seasons in St. Louis from 2012 to 2017.

But it doesn’t make sense for a multitude of reasons. Rosenthal hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2020. As Frederickson noted, the Cardinals are typically reluctant about reunions, with Albert Pujols being the exception to that. And his agent, Scott Boras, typically holds out for the best deal in free agency. Not to mention that Rosenthal will need extensive time in the minors to work his way back into shape to pitch in a major-league game. So when will he realistically be ready to pitch?

Here’s the kind of contract where Rosenthal makes sense: signing him to a minor-league deal with an opt out by a certain date if he isn’t on the major-league roster.

Even if the Cardinals sign Rosenthal, they should still strongly consider adding 1-2 arms at the trade deadline. At this point, Rosenthal would be more of a flier than a sure-fire addition that could pay off not just in 2022, but in 2023 and potentially beyond that.

A Rosenthal reunion wouldn’t be the first thing I would do. But as a cheap flier, he would make a whole lot of sense – and there may not be an organization who knows the veteran right-hander better.