Cardinals Rumors: Should St. Louis pursue Garrett Richards?

Should the St. Louis Cardinals pursue right-hander Garrett Richards, who was recently designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers?

If there is one thing that the St. Louis Cardinals have learned in previous seasons, it’s that you can never have enough pitching depth.

After adding Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana at the trade deadline, the rotation is in good shape. Adam Wainwright has remained steady while Miles Mikolas has had a breakout season. Jack Flaherty is once again getting closer to returning from the Injured List, though is still a ways away, and when he eventually does return, is surely going to be eased into action.

But the Cardinals could use some more bullpen depth, especially after parting ways with T.J. McFarland. And it may not hurt to give right-hander Garrett Richards a look after he was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Of course, Richards is far removed from the player he was with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016 and 2017 when he posted ERAs in the low 2.30s. In 32 games this season, he posted a 5.27 ERA in 32 appearances and posted a 4.87 ERA in 40 games last season with the Boston Red Sox.

But Richards continues to pitch well against left-handers, who are only hitting .243/.300/.311 with zero home runs against him this season. He can be used situationally by the Cardinals and comes with postseason experience, which would prove useful in a relatively young bullpen.

And to add Richards after he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, it’ll be at virtually no cost to the Cardinals, meaning there is little-to-no risk for the team. It may not be the most attractive name, of course, but at the current price – very little – it would make a lot of sense to take a look at a veteran pitcher with his track record.