Reliever – Chris Martin
After being traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angels Dodgers at the trade deadline, Chris Martin posted a 36:1 strikeout-walk ratio with a 1.46 ERA in his 26 games with the Dodgers. He has the stuff of a late inning reliever who would make a fantastic trio with Ryan Helsley and Giovanni Gallegos at the back of the Cardinals bullpen.
Martin has been a bit streaky throughout his career, as most of the non-elite relivers in the game are, but he would come into the St. Louis bullpen fighting to be the 7th inning guy, taking pressure off of him and making him a low risk signing for St. Louis.
MLB Trade Rumors has Martin projected to get two-years, $14 million on the open market, a very digestible number for a club looking to bring their bullpen up to the level of other contenders in baseball. Going after another reliever seems a bit scary considering the club’s recent history with bullpen arms in free agency, but there is a higher ceiling with Martin than guys like Aaron Brooks or Drew VerHagen, and much lower risk than the bigger contracts guys like Brett Cecil and Greg Holland received.